JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Democratic Alliance shadow Minister James Lorimer says he will question Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane in Parliament as to whether the Minister has made interventions on behalf of mining industry participants.
This comes as the DA alleged that Zwane had confirmed that he was involved in the R2.15-billion sale of Glencore’s Optimum Colliery to Tegeta Resources, which was owned by the Gupta family, in December.
The colliery had entered business rescue amid a legal battle with State-owned enterprise Eskom over the supply of coal to the Hendrina power station under a R150/t supply agreement.
The power provider was pursuing a penalty claim of R2-billion, owing to what it said were breaches of contract, with Eskom CEO Brian Molefe insisting that Eskom was entitled, until 2018, to receive coal at that price.
Lorimer noted that earlier media reports claimed that a Gupta family representative denied that Zwane had been part of the negotiations between Tegeta Resources and Glencore.
“However, the Minister’s participation was confirmed by his office,” he said.