Mashaba’s plans get approval

Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba sighed with relief when councillors approved his institutional review plans on Thursday.

Former Trillian CEO Bianca Goodson has made explosive allegations about events surrounding the partnership between management consulting firm McKinsey, Trillian and state-owned power utility Eskom, and other entities.

Goodson went public about her time at Trillian late on Wednesday. She prepared the statement for a parliamentary inquiry into state capture, which she now believes is unlikely to happen in the near future.

Goodson was CEO at Trillian for three months in 2016 but left, she says, when she felt she was becoming exposed to politically linked deal making that would destroy her career.

Her statement details her time at Trillian — until recently majority-owned by Gupta ally Salim Essa. Her revelations turn up the heat on McKinsey, which is in the spotlight for allegedly partnering with Trillian to win contracts with South African state-owned entities. Trillian received substantial payments for doing nothing.

Trillian on Thursday denied Goodson’s allegations and attacked her motives.

McKinsey suspended McKinsey SA director Vikas Sagar in July after revelations that he arranged irregular payments for Trillian in a R1.6bn deal with Eskom, which is now being probed by authorities.

Trillian separately received R495m for work it never completed at Eskom.

Corruption Watch’s David Lewis said the organisation knew Goodson’s information would be forthcoming and it would use it in its case with the US authorities.

He said the information clearly demonstrated that the relationship between McKinsey, Eskom and Trillian was a complete scam. “While Trillian was presented as a subcontractor, Trillian was clearly, in the information seen, not to have been expected to do any work.”

McKinsey spokesman DJ Carella said on Thursday: “We have nothing to add beyond what we have said before on this topic – you have our previous statements.”

McKinsey has previously denied impropriety in dealings with Trillian and Eskom.