Eskom’s chief operating officer facing fresh allegations of improper conduct
ESKOM chief operating officer Jan Oberholzer is in hot water again, amid fresh allegations that he had allegedly negotiated a contract with a construction firm in which he held shares and had asked a subordinate to find a job for his brother-in-law – without disclosing that he was a relative.
Bloomberg yesterday reported that Oberholzer had also approved a payment to another contractor, which was questioned by an independent counsel in a 15-page report, following a probe that had been commissioned by the power utility.
The report was not released publicly but has been seen by Bloomberg.
Last night, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said Oberholzer should resign with immediate effect, following the allegations that he had improperly used his position.
The union was responding to claims that Oberholzer had negotiated a contract with Stefanutti Stocks, a company for which he once worked, and held shares. It is also alleged that he asked a subordinate to find a job for his brotherin-law without disclosing that he was a close relative.
The allegations put fresh pressure on Eskom, which is already under pressure to recoup R4 billion that was “overpaid” to Stefanutti Stocks-Basil Read Joint Venture, Stefanutti Stocks Izazi Joint Venture Swedish multinational ABB South Africa, Tubular Construction Projects, and Tenova Mining and Minerals SA, during the building of the Kusile power project in Mpumalanga. NUM spokesperson Livhuwani Mammburu said Eskom had, in the past few years, lost billions of rand due to graft and unethical behaviour by senior staff. He added that Oberholzer, being a senior Eskom official, should lead by example and, if not, he must vacate his position.
“If this is true, we expect serious action to be taken against him, and if this means that he has to resign, he must do so. As the chief operating officer at the power utility, Ozerholzer must lead by example and in an ethical manner,” said Mammburu. Mammburu said it could not be business as usual for Ozerholzer and his employer Eskom.
“He must resign with immediate effect. Eskom does not need people like him, and the company must prove that it is not soft on those who are accused of corruption,” he added.
Despite the mounting pressure on Oberholzer, Eskom still stands by him. Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha said Bloomberg was rehashing an old story without any basis. He said two investigations had cleared Oberholzer.
He sent Independent Media a statement that Eskom had issued on the same matter, in April this year. In it, Eskom said the senior counsel it appointed to probe the allegations had cleared Oberholzer of corruption, dishonesty and abuse of power.
“A senior counsel conducted his investigation by interviewing witnesses and reviewing the information and documentary evidence provided by the witnesses, including the complainant and other Eskom officials. On April 4, 2020, the senior counsel submitted his findings to Eskom and the board has considered the findings.
“He found no basis for the allegations of dishonesty, corruption, conflict of interest and abuse of power levelled against the chief operating officer,” Eskom said in April.