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The barefaced lies by former Mineral Resources Minister Ngoako Ramatlhodi could only be sustained by unsuspecting or decidedly biased minds, said Dr Ben Ngubane following widespread reports suggesting that both he and Brian Molefe “pressured” him to suspend all the mining rights held by Glencore.

“It is absolutely implausible to suggest that a sitting, senior, minister could have been bullied by the officials of a state entity. One would have to be extremely biased against Eskom to even remotely consider these allegations to be true given their ridiculous nature. Such allegations by a former senior minister, with such a critical national mandate, are not only absurd, but highlight his own perception of his incompetence,” said Dr Ngubane.

Dr Ngubane wondered why the former Minister failed to raise this purported violation at the correct time of its alleged occurrence.

“Did he approach the media at the time it alleged occurred? Did he report the matter to the police, if he did, what is his case number? Why has it only now become opportune to make these damaging allegations? One would have expected that a genuine moralist, which he claims to be, would have brought these serious allegations to the attention of the police and/or the media instantly. Genuine moralists do not hang their morality on convenience. This is evidently an opportune time for him to make the allegation and one can only wonder at his motive,” said Dr Ngubane.

Even though his allegations are unseemly delayed, explained Ngubane, they should at least be truthful. “Unfortunately they are patently not!”

“For instance, while in his previous position as Minister, Ramatlhodi stated, according to the media reports, that he suspended Glencore Optimum’s licence because it did not conduct retrenchments properly. At no point did he allude to us being the reason thereof,” Dr Ngubane elaborated.

“But he has suddenly decided to self-shame by contradicting himself with his current public statements. He has shamelessly suggested that the licence suspension was not based on the manner in which Glencore handled the retrenchments, as widely quoted in the media,” Dr Ngubane said.

Dr Ngubane lamented the current narrative about Eskom. “It has become very difficult, if not totally impossible, to separate the truth from wanton fiction. Eskom is the biggest victim of unyielding innuendo and naked lies.”

Issued by Eskom