Leaders of opposition parties, including the EFF, DA, APC and the UDM, as well as civic organisations Save SA and Freedom Movement, slammed Molefe’s return to the helm at Eskom and accused President Jacob Zuma of “running a Gupta state”.
DA leader Mmusi Maimane said: “It has become quite clear that it’s a Gupta-run state, it is clear that the sovereignty of our nation has been donated to the private interests of a family. Brian Molefe does not even belong in Parliament, he should face criminal charges.
“We believe there are grounds to interdict this move and we have instructed our team to launch a court action. We maintain that Parliament must deal with Molefe in the same way it dealt with the SABC.”
The parties said the latest move by Molefe, who had served as MP for only two months after his resignation from Eskom, was a signature move by the controversial Gupta family.
EFF leader Julius Malema said the Molefe matter could not be left to proceed “as it would turn our country into a banana republic”.
"Since the man said he is going to work on Monday, we have asked the lawyers to see if we can apply on urgent basis he is being taken to court.”
Molefe left Eskom last year after a damning Public Protector report implicated him in dealings with the Gupta family.
Attempts by the Eskom board to award him a R30 million pension payout failed after Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown blocked the board’s plan.