ANOTHER DAY IN SA ANOTHER OUTRAGE

Revelations continue to emerge regarding the Gupta family's tangled web of influence. Now, another day in South Africa, and another potentially scandalous revelation concerning one Mark Pamensky, a director of the Gupta-owned Oakbay Resources and Energy. Nothing ominous about this until Pamensky's appointment to Eskom's board some three months after joining Gupta's company. To add flavour to the mix, Oakbay's major customer is Eskom - hence questions of the relationship and by imputation symbiotic connection to state capture. A spokesperson for Eskom defended Pamensky's appointment, and added that the parastatal has "a robust system and processes in place to ensure that actual, potential and perceived conflicts of interest . . . are managed effectively". It may well be that Eskom has a "robust system and processes in place", but Pamensky's dual board membership is the quintessential example of actual conflict of interest. Even if it is remotely possible to effectively manage the conflict, the mere existence of dual board roles creates an appearance of conflict of interest that should have stopped Pamensky's appointment in its tracks. There are infinitely more questions than the unpersuasive explanation offered by Eskom's spokesperson. It remains to be seen if the ANC's Gupta investigation will include the Pamensky appointment to Eskom's board. If it does, it may be an indication of its so-called investigative robustness into state capture.