Parks Tau faces scrutiny over IDC board appointments

Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau is resisting calls for clarity regarding the appointment of the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) board members.

He informed DA MP Toby Chance and EFF MP Sinawo Thambo that he would address their specific questions during the upcoming Portfolio Committee meeting on Trade, Industry and Competition.

He stated that he had been invited to brief the portfolio committee on the appointment of the IDC board on July 22, but the meeting was postponed.

“Upon the rescheduling of the meeting, specific questions will be directly responded to during the meeting or after if there is still a need,” he said in his standard response.

Chance on Thursday accused Tau of being evasive and deviating from his usual detailed responses.

“He has provided no information at all; ministers are obligated to respond in writing to written questions, which is unsatisfactory,” said Chance.

“We normally get detailed responses from him. This time, he seems very evasive in not providing answers,” he added.

Last month, the Cabinet announced a new eight-member board for the IDC, which included ANC-aligned members such as former ministers Sydney Mufamadi and Ayanda Dlodlo, and former KwaZulu-Natal premier and now Higher Education Deputy Minister Nomusa Dube-Ncube.

The Cabinet had also appointed Sam Bhembe, who is reportedly involved in a court battle with the finance institution over a R70 million debt.

The IDC board appointments happened at a time when there was a public outcry over the appointment of chairpersons for the boards of Sector and Education Training Authorities, which have since been cancelled.

At the time, Thambo requested an urgent committee meeting, and committee chairperson Mzwandile Masina wrote to Tau indicating it was prudent that they receive a briefing on the process followed in the IDC board appointments.

Thambo also sent questions to Tau, wanting to know the process followed and the measures his department implemented to safeguard the IDC from undue political influence, among other things.

He had expressed concern about a pattern of compromised appointments that was a direct consequence of politically motivated deployments.

“The IDC must not be reduced to a retirement destination for politically connected individuals,” read Thambo’s letter to Tau.

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