Pravin Gordhan was delivering opening remarks at his appearance before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) in Parliament on Wednesday. He cited a News24 editorial that discredited the intelligence dossier on which the allegations were based as part of his justification for refusing to provide the names. News24 reported that the two politicians De Ruyter and Gordhan refused to name were then-deputy President of South Africa, David Mabuza, and Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe.

However, the publication and other news organizations have questioned the veracity of the intelligence reports De Ruyter relied on for his allegation, with News24 labelling it the “dirty dossier”. “I am not going to implicate or smear the reputations of others without credible evidence and verifiable facts being provided,” Gordhan stated “Intelligence dossiers, as some of you might remember, have done a great deal of harm and immeasurable damage to our country, to its institutions, and — by the way — to the individuals.” Gordhan mentioned former Hawks boss Johan Booysen as an example of one such individual. “In fact, I was the target of a so-called intelligence report in early 2017, after which I was fired as Minister of Finance, so I know personally what I’m talking about,” the minister continued.

His statements at Scopa come after Andre De Ruyter also appeared before the committee and refused to reveal the names. De Ruyter said he feared for his life should he disclose the information. Instead, he directed the committee to ask Gordhan and presidential national security adviser Sydney Mufamadi, saying that he had told them the names. De Ruyter’s appearance before Scopa came after he made explosive allegations on E-tv’s My Guest Tonight with Annika Larsen in February 2023. During the interview, he said he told an unnamed minister — since revealed to be Gordhan — that a high-level ANC politician was complicit in cartel activities at Eskom. “The minister looked at a senior official and said, ‘I guess that it was inevitable that it would come out anyway’, which suggests that this wasn’t news,” De Ruyter said.

Andre De Ruyter has since reiterated the statement in his book, Truth to Power, My Three Years Inside Eskom, this time confirming who he was speaking to. Gordhan looked over at Mufamadi and said, “Well, I guess it was inevitable that it would come out.” Gordhan also said De Ruyter’s verifiable claims regarding corruption at Eskom were nothing new. “Mpumalanga is a crime scene,” Gordhan said. The minister said that several actors, driven by greed, are collaborating to undermine processes, supply counterfeit parts, and sabotage equipment to get more work.

Pravin Gordhan said he couldn’t mention the names of people as the investigation was incomplete, as he understood it, and he was not given any copy of any report. “In fact, I was told this was preliminary information, but certainly not evidence,” Gordhan said. “Furthermore, it would seem to me there were weekly reports De Ruyter received from this project,” the minister continued. “So I would ask that Scopa request De Ruyter or the people who conducted the investigation, or the people who have had subsequent access to these reports, to provide details or names of individuals.” Gordhan said the basis for him knowing the names is discredited. “This investigation also stands to be approached sceptically and discredited, as some of the allegation or information cannot be verified and is untested at this particular point in time,” he said. Hawks head Godfrey Lebeya said last week the SAPS Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation has yet to begin investigating the allegations that senior politicians are involved in corruption at Eskom.