Pretoria - The Public Service Commercial Union has welcomed a court ruling forcing Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan to provide both confidential and non-confidential documents on the SAA sale.
The Western Cape High Court this week gave Gordhan 20 days to provide the records to Toto Investment Holdings, which hauled Gordhan to court over the controversial sale of the national carrier.
In a statement, the union yesterday stated that the SAA over the past few years received bailouts from public deviants’ money.
“It became an endless pit just like Eskom, with money kept on being poured into it,” said the statement.
The union’s general manager, Tahir Maepa, hailed its efforts against corruption in targeting not only banks, but state-owned enterprises.
“We have seen that so long as information is kept hidden, deeds and unsavoury acts increase. The only way to expose the truth is for it to be revealed.
“The ruling is indeed welcome and its principles will go a long way to ensure that corruption is minimised in our country. The union will continue to do everything in its power to confront all the vehicles that house, transport and deliver corruption irrespective of who is the driver.
“Nobody is above the law and this democracy will not be a credible democracy if it fails to protect our people.
“The judgment against Minister Gordhan will send a strong message to those who believe they are above the law and their deeds will remain sealed.”
Maepa added that the union would be pursuing criminal charges against implicated current and former Steinhoff executives and board members.
“We are also seeking legal advice to whether Ms Gill Marcus committed any crime by failing to disclose her alleged relationship with Steinhoff while adjudicating the PIC commission,” Maepa said.
Last week the court dismissed with costs an application by Toto Investment Holdings to halt the sale of shares of SAA to Takatso Consortium, pending a review.
Toto had approached the court in a bid to force Gordhan and the department to make records of the sale public and also interdict the sale of the shares. It also wanted an order that he make documents available.
The company also wanted full disclosure of all documents involved in the sale of SAA.
Pretoria News