Koko fingered in fraud at Eskom
Acting CEO okayed Guptas’ dodgy coal
Former Eskom chief executive Matshela Koko’s hidden hand in influencing his staff to do the bidding of the Gupta family and accept “reject coal” for its power stations was revealed at the state capture inquiry yesterday.
The commission heard testimonies from former Eskom general manager for fuel sourcing, Johann Bester, and coal supply unit manager Gert Opperman – both of whom alluded to undue influence from Koko in relation to contracts with Tegeta Exploration and Resources, a company owned by the Gupta family. Bester spoke about the stress of serving in the position in 2014 and 2015, saying he resigned because his wife threatened to leave him.
“She was aware of my unhappiness and I would bring my unhappiness home.” Koko was the group executive for generation at the time.
Reading from his statement, advocate Kate Hofmeyr – who led his evidence – alleged Koko directly influenced one of his subordinates, Ayanda Ntetha.
“You start to talk about significant pressure and focus starting in 2015 ... an awareness that Ntetha was being engaged directly by Koko although she reported to you and you say Koko never directly put pressure on me [Bester], but he did put pressure on her,” Hofmeyr said, reading from Bester’s statement. Opperman, who managed Eskom’s coal supply contract with the Brakfontein mine – owned by Tegeta – told the commission that after he rejected a consignment of coal in 2015, Koko called him directly and asked him to reverse his decision.
“What made it out of the ordinary is the fact … this coal will now be termed reject coal. It is not contract coal … “I immediately told [Tegeta executive Jacques Roux], you cannot dispatch this coal. I cannot support it. You need to either declare a dispute or you need to reprocess the coal. Roux was not pleased with my response.” Opperman claims Koko called soon after.
“I then engaged my senior at the time, [Vuyisile] Ncube, and I asked him what must I do … and he encouraged me to engage the power station.” Bester’s testimony continues today.