Voorsitter,
Minister, sedert u die portefeulje oorgeneem het, het niks vir die beter verander nie. Ons hoor steeds net van transformasie, nou genoem radikale ekonomiese transformasie, maar wat eintlik net kode is vir die intensifisering van die stroping van bates tot voordeel van ‘n paar selektiewe individue terwyl die meeste mense in die land steeds honger gaan slaap.
So what has happened thus far in this very critical economic portfolio under your watch Minister?:
• We know that you have visited the Glencore boss in Switzerland to convince him to sell their Optimum mine to the Gupta-owned Tegeta Exploration and Resources. Meanwhile back at the ranch at ESKOM, another person of interest, Mr. Brian Molefe, was ensuring that Tegeta can actually buy Optimum by making a highly irregular upfront payment to Tegeta for coal still to be delivered by Optimum. In a reply to a parliamentary question whether anyone not employed by government accompanied the Minister on his trip to Switzerland, he indicated that he was not at liberty to disclose their identities. So at the very least we know that somebody outside government joined him his discussions with Glencore to sell Optimum. This of course raises more interesting questions than answers. We will keep on pulling at the strings until we get to the truth.
• Ons weet ook dat u nogal belangstel in wat banke doen, nie soseer myne in die algemeen nie. U vals aanduiding dat banke ondersoek gaan word wat rekeninge van die Gupta-familie gesluit het is veelseggend. Dit sluit perfek aan by die gebeure rondom u inmenging in die koop van Optimum deur Tegeta. Die Gupta-seine word al hoe duideliker en mens kan die kolle begin verbind vir ‘n kommerwekkende beeld wat ontvou: een van staatskaping in die algemeen en gevange ministers in die besonder.
We, therefore, do not expect that any significant positive developments will take place in this Department under your tenure Minister. But we are looking forward to the revelations of more strange deals having taken place and that is still to take place. We know where to look: just follow the trail of the nuclear power stations, just follow the trail of coal supplies to ESKOM, just follow the trail of strange mining licenses in protected areas, just follow where money is to be made generally…
Ons is beindruk met die moeite wat die minister maak met die effektiewe dienslewering van prospekteer- en mynlisensies aan sommige individue en die fasilitering van transaksies. Dis net jammer dat die politieke wil om effektief te wees vir die land en sy mense in die algemeen ontbreek. Dink net waar ons sou gewees het indien dieselfde ywer vir noue selfverryking aangewend was tot almal se voordeel?
Die wiel draai egter: in die kort termyn sal enkelinge voordeel trek, maar uiteindelik is dit onvolhoubaar en sal daardie selfsug deel word van die asdromme van die geskiedenis soos die mense opstaan en hulle kruisies elders trek in 2019.
Dankie Voorsitter.
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