Former Eskom CEO Brian Molefe, who resigned from the state-owned enterprise in November last year, has received a R30.1-million golden handshake.

The Sunday Times has reported that the payment was made last month, and that it has been described as “very irregular”.

Molefe’s resignation followed the Public Protector’s State of Capture report, in which he featured prominently as a Gupta family ally.

Molefe was found to have had 58 telephone interactions with Ajay Gupta between August 2015 and March 2016.

His GPS records also indicate that he was in the Saxonworld area, home to the Gupta family estate, on many occasions.

A recent Sunday Times report also alleged that Molefe withheld crucial information from National Treasury and Parliament regarding the Gupta family’s coal contracts with Eskom.

According to the report, Molefe and Eskom chairman Ben Ngubane did not release crucial information in a report that “highlighted several glaring breaches in Tegeta’s R4-billion coal supply contract”.

Molefe moves from Eskom to Parliament

Molefe officially left Eskom in January 2017, and in February he was sworn in as a Member of Parliament (MP).

Many people objected to Molefe serving as an MP, arguing that the State of Capture report showed that he was unfit to hold public office.

DA shadow minister of public enterprises, Natasha Mazzone, highlighted that Molefe was found to be at the centre of the “State of Capture” report.

“As an incoming MP, Molefe would have to swear loyalty to the Constitution and put the people of South Africa first, not Zuma or his administration.”

COPE spokesperson Dennis Bloem said Molefe left Eskom under a dark cloud, and Zuma deploying him to Parliament has further tarnished the already badly damaged image of this institution.

Now read: Democratic Alliance laying charges against Brian Molefe after resigning as Eskom CEO