Witnesses in Parliament's probe into Eskom will be kept secret following security concerns, Business Day reported. This was reportedly revealed during a closed-doors meeting of the portfolio committee on public enterprises, during which the probe was discussed.
The probe is due to start next week, and witnesses will be called from October 17. Acting committee chairperson Zukiswa Rantho reportedly said the committee was in the process of talking to witnesses to prepare them for the inquiry.
The committee will investigate the reappointment of Brian Molefe as well as Eskom's relationship with Gupta deals, Business Day reported. This includes Eskom's relationship with Gupta-owned The New Age and payment to Trillian, among other things.
The Gupta brothers and President Jacob Zuma's son, Duduzane, are reportedly on the witness list.
This week, Eskom controversially requested a 19.9% increase in electricity tariffs from the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa), Times Live reported. The public has until Friday to submit comments on the application, while public hearings into the matter will start on October 30.
Meanwhile, McKinsey said this week that it wanted a high court judge to decide whether its R1.6-billion contract with Eskom is invalid before it pays back money that Eskom paid it, Times Live reported.
McKinsey initially said it would pay back the funds, but on Tuesday, the company reportedly said: "We will support a review by the high court of the validity of the turnaround-programme contract. We invite Eskom and Trillian to submit themselves to this process‚ too‚" McKinsey said on Tuesday.
"McKinsey will pay back the fee in full if the high court determines that Eskom acted unlawfully."