At the beginning of the inquiry on Friday, while Advocate Bawa led evidence, Advocate Mpofu asked what the relevance of Pillay’s retirement report was in the inquiry. Even so, most of his cross-examination was spent asking Pillay about his early retirement
Pillay appeared before the inquiry to give testimony about Mkhwebane’s reports into the “rogue unit” and his early retirement. Both reports were taken on judicial review. On the early retirement report, Mkhwebane had found that former finance minister and now Public Enterprise Minister Pravin Gordhan had irregularly approved the early retirement of Pillay with full retirement benefits.
Pillay referred to former president Jacob Zuma whose only education qualification is Grade 4 . Mpofu said there were three examples of people who ascended to higher offices with not much education: Pillay, Zuma and former SABC COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng. Motsoeneng also had matric when he led the public broadcaster. In fact, he was the one who had said he was an “organic intellectual”. Mpofu, however, said Motsoeneng and Zuma had made it into their positions because of “political connections”.
Pillay, answering Mpofu’s questions, told the Section 194 committee that he had known Gordhan for over 40 years. They had met as political activists in Durban, and later met in the 1970s in the country and outside South Africa “when he came illegally into Swaziland”. He, however, said he would not call him his friend but a comrade.“In the ANC’s underground,” responded Pillay.
Mpofu then asked Pillay if the fact that he had known Gordhan for over 40 years had nothing to do with him rising up at Sars. Pillay said that was false, and that was why he never stood in line to be a commissioner at Sars.
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