PRETORIA – In a recent parliamentary session, retired Brigadier Jap Burger criticized the South African State Security Agency (SSA) for its lack of action in the face of corruption allegations at Eskom, the country’s electricity public utility. Burger, who had been involved in corruption investigations at Eskom, shed light on the SSA’s abrupt discontinuation of cooperative efforts that were crucial to the inquiry.
Burger’s testimony before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) today follows a prolonged five-month parliamentary deadlock. He was brought into the Eskom corruption investigations by Johan Booysen, the former head of the KwaZulu-Natal Hawks. During his investigations, Burger noted an emphasis on transactional crimes as opposed to breaking up crime syndicates. His attempts to corroborate information from a private intelligence operation conducted by George Fivaz’s forensic firm were initially supported by the SSA but were unexpectedly cut short. Burger attributes this sudden halt to interference by a counter-intelligence agent.
The focus on Eskom’s corruption issues began with former CEO André de Ruyter’s allegations, which have been under SCOPA’s scrutiny since April. The committee is currently assessing whether these claims warrant a full-scale inquiry. In his testimony, Burger highlighted the impact of organized crime syndicates within government sectors and pointed out deficiencies in law enforcement agencies’ responses to such deep-rooted issues.
This development adds another layer to the ongoing saga of corruption within South Africa’s vital energy sector, as SCOPA continues to deliberate the necessity and scope of a formal investigation into the matter.
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