Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan’s department has denied he withheld documents on the sale of SAA. File Picture
The Department of Public Enterprises has denied claims by a Parliamentary committee that it was refusing to cooperate with it and hand over documents on the sale of SAA to Takatso Consortium.
The department insisted that the transaction was above board.
However, the portfolio committee on public enterprises said Minister Pravin Gordhan has for months refused to cooperate with the committee and hand over the documents.
The committee said it cannot make a decision on its investigation on allegations made by former Director-General Kgathatso Thlakudi that the sale of SAA was undervalued.
This determination can only be made once the committee has had access to the documents.
The Department of Public Enterprises said on Thursday the sale of SAA was done in a fair and transparent manner.
“The Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) has reiterated the important role of Parliament to conduct oversight and demand accountability, but it refutes claims of non-cooperation with the portfolio committee on public enterprises in its examination of the Strategic Equity Partnership (SEP) transaction for South African Airways (SAA),” said the department.
“There is no information that is within our legal remit to provide on the SAA transaction that the DPE has withheld from Parliament. All our engagements with the portfolio committee attest to our commitment to cooperate fully on every aspect of our work.
“Some of the information being requested is commercially sensitive and confidential.”
The department said Gordhan has had several engagements with the committee since the allegations came to light.
Gordhan had also interacted with Parliament’s finance watchdog, the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa), on the matter.
However, he had notified both committees that due to confidentiality agreements, some of the information would not be made available.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za
Politics