Cyril expected to be mined for info on Glencore at state capture inquiry

President Cyril Ramaphosa will return to the Zondo commission on Wednesday and Thursday next week.

He is expected to be quizzed on his role in aiding or abetting state capture during his tenure as deputy president of SA between 2014 and 2018.

This will include allegations by two former Eskom CEOs, Brian Molefe and Matshela Koko, that Ramaphosa provided a political shield and advanced the economic interests of mining company Glencore, in which he was a shareholder, to the detriment of those at the power utility.

Ramaphosa has previously denied this, but will this time do so under oath.

At the centre of the Glencore debacle is the fallout between the company and Eskom over their 2015 coal supply agreement.

At the time, Optimum Coal Mine, Glencore’s then subsidiary, requested Eskom review its coal purchase price and increase it three-fold from R150 a ton. 

Eskom, led by Molefe, refused to do so and Optimum pulled the plug on delivering coal to Eskom power stations, leading to load-shedding.

That was not long before Glencore decided to sell Optimum to the Gupta family that year. 

Ramaphosa will probably also move to affirm his "Mr Clean-up" status by pointing out the changes he introduced at administrative level in the State Security Agency (SSA), notwithstanding the ongoing chaos in the country’s intelligence services, which has given rise to calls for the axing of minister Ayanda Dlodlo. 

Ramaphosa sold his Glencore shares after his appointment as the country’s second-in-command in 2014.

But Molefe insisted at the Zondo inquiry that despite this, Ramaphosa’s offload of shares was not cleared when Glencore’s conflict with Eskom reached a climax — a time the president also chaired the power utility’s “war room”.

Over and above Glencore-related allegations, Ramaphosa is likely to be grilled on dubious decisions that were rubber-stamped by former president Jacob Zuma’s cabinet. These include the appointment of pro-Gupta CEOs to SOEs when he was deputy president.

As the incumbent head of state, Ramaphosa will also be questioned on what measures he has taken since becoming president in 2018 to undo the rot that set in during the state capture years.

In this respect, Ramaphosa is expected to cite his appointment of new bosses in key law-enforcement agencies such the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the Hawks.

But his biggest boast will be setting up the National Prosecuting Authority’s Investigative Directorate, headed by Hermione Cronje.

Ramaphosa will probably also move to affirm his “Mr Clean-up” status by pointing out the changes he introduced at administrative level in the State Security Agency (SSA), notwithstanding the ongoing chaos in the country’s intelligence services, which has given rise to calls for the axing of minister Ayanda Dlodlo.

The president will also cite the Special Investigating Unit’s (SIU) newfound teeth as a sign of his government’s practical actions to fight corruption and fraud in government and state entities.