In a statement on Monday, the SIU said the president signed the proclamation, which will result in a probe of the public broadcaster's decision to sponsor the breakfasts, known as The New Age Breakfast Briefings, at a cost of at least R20-million. The SIU is empowered to recover any losses the state may have suffered as a result.
The proclamation "authorises the SIU to investigate serious maladministration in connection with the affairs of the SABC in respect of the TNA briefings hosted and broadcast by the SABC as well as serious maladministration in connection with affairs of Eskom, Transnet, PetroSA, South African Airways and the national department of human settlements", the SIU said. "The state institutions and the department allegedly funded some of the TNA breakfast shows."
Collectively, the state-owned enterprises are understood to have spent tens of millions of rand sponsoring the breakfasts with little obvious financial return. Senior figures in the Gupta family, including brothers Ajay and Atul Gupta, have fled the country, fearing arrest. They were close to former President Jacob Zuma, on whose watch state capture corruption flourished.
The SIU said its probe will focus on whether the agreement between the SABC and TNA Media was concluded in a manner that was "not fair, competitive, transparent, equitable or cost-effective, or in violation of applicable legislation, guidelines or instructions from national treasury".
