The minister, her lover and the Koko mystery

O n November 30 last year Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown announced Matshela Koko as Eskom’s acting CEO. This followed Brian Molefe’s resignation from the power utility after being linked to the Guptas in a damning report by former public protector Thuli Madonsela. Brown appointed Koko despite mounting evidence that he was also a Gupta-family lackey. Koko had earlier been exposed as the one who approved a R578-million pre-payment to Tegeta, which enabled the Gupta family to buy a mine using our tax rands. He was then caught lying on national television when he denied ever authorising the pre-payment.

Back then we all wondered why Brown had chosen Koko. Even after he was exposed as unethical, corruptible and totally compromised, Brown remained unmoved in her support of both Koko and the Eskom board.

Just four months after his appointment, this newspaper revealed shocking details of how Koko awarded contracts worth more than R1-billion to a company linked to his stepdaughter. For months nothing happened as Brown refused to act against him. Koko was only suspended in August — five months after the exposé. Brown is yet to take responsibility for routinely appointing corrupt, unethical, dodgy and compromised individuals to state-owned enterprises, including Eskom.

If you, like many of us, have been wondering why Brown has been dragging her feet in disciplining Koko — and many others who have been looting our public coffers at these state-owned companies — then wonder no more. Today we answer your questions. There clearly exists what appears to be a corrupt relationship between Brown and Koko.

This is because a company owned by Brown’s lover and the minister’s family friends was awarded two contracts during Koko’s acting stint. The company did not bid for any of the contracts. The directors did not declare their relationship with the minister.

When asked yesterday if this did not constitute a conflict of interest, Brown’s office chose not to answer the questions. But if it looks, walks and quacks like a duck, it probably is a duck. This one looks and smells like corruption, and it probably is.