Brian Molefe’s R30 million “golden handshake” will come under close scrutiny by Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Monday.

When news of the payout surfaced, opposition parties and independent bodies were outraged at the amount Eskom’s board reportedly approved for its former CEO.

The R30 million was said to be Molefe’s pension payout, however the numbers failed to add up as he had only been at the power utility 18 months with a salary that did not warrant the R30 million figure.

The DA wrote to Mkhwebane shortly after the news surfaced, requesting that she probe the matter. Mkhwebane’s office acknowledged receipt of the party’s letter and said it was similar to two other letters that were already lodged.

Her office also said the letter had been allocated to the good governance and integrity branch for further investigation, and that they would provide a progress update in 30 working days.

Molefe resigned from Eskom in December last year under a cloud of controversy. He was implicated in the then public protector Thuli Madonsela’s State of Capture report. Her findings shed light on his relationship with the controversial Gupta family and deals involving the family’s acquisition of a coal mine.

After Molefe’s departure from Eskom, he had a brief stint as an ANC Member of Parliament, but returned to Eskom in May after Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown failed to approve his R30m pension payout.

It was not even a month later that Brown ordered the utility’s board to rescind its decision to reappoint Molefe, and he was formally dismissed on 2 June.