The Public Protector has agreed to investigate former Eskom CEO Brian Molefe for the R30 million “golden handshake” he received from the power utility‚ the Democratic Alliance said on Monday.

The party said it requested the investigation after it emerged that the Eskom board approved a R30 million pension payout to Molefe after only 18 months as CEO of Eskom.

In a letter to the DA‚ the office of the Public Protector said the complaint had been allocated to the Good Governance and Integrity Branch for further investigations.

The office said the DA’s complaint was similar to that lodged by two other people and the three complaints had been consolidated.

The office said progress on the investigation would be provided in 30 working days.

Molefe left Eskom’s employ in December last year following adverse findings made against him by former public protector Thuli Madonsela in her “State of Capture” report.

Molefe went on to become an African National Congress MP in February‚ but returned to Eskom in May following Brown’s refusal to approve a R30m pension payout to Molefe.

Less than a month into his job at Eskom‚ Brown instructed the board of Eskom to rescind its decision to reappoint Molefe. Eskom formally dismissed Molefe on June 2.

The DA said the payout was a gross abuse of public funds‚ especially after Molefe resigned “in the interests of good corporate governance” after his close ties to the Gupta family were revealed in the State of Capture Report.