Counsel to look into corruption claims against Eskom’s COO
An independent senior counsel would investigate corruption allegations levelled at Eskom COO Jan Oberholzer, the power utility announced on Thursday.
Claims emerged at the weekend that Oberholzer was a shareholder in construction group Stefanutti Stocks, one of the companies that allegedly defrauded Eskom of nearly R140bn.
The Sunday Independent reported that Oberholzer owns Stefanutti Stocks shares. The newspaper claimed that Oberholzer had several meetings with the company’s directors shortly after his appointment at Eskom in 2018.
The allegations come as the power utility is struggling to stay afloat financially and to keep the lights on.
Ratings agencies have cited state-owned entities, including Eskom and SAA, which carry debt of nearly R700bn between them, among the risks to the sustainability of the country’s finances.
Eskom’s board said on Thursday that it received correspondence from Corruption Watch, an anticorruption civilsociety organisation, and from the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu), earlier in March.
“Both organisations articulate allegations of corruption and victimisation against the chief operating officer,” said the board.
“Both organisations cite the same source, an Eskom employee who has since deposed to an affidavit to the commission of inquiry into state capture, as having raised the allegations. In the correspondence, the organisations implore the Eskom board to intervene and act to protect the whistleblower,” the board said.
Eskom’s board also said that many of the allegations raised in the letters had not previously been made available to the executive management and the board of Eskom.
“From the onset, it must be stated categorically that Eskom’s executive management and the board stand firmly against corruption, victimisation and abuse of power.
“We also stand resolutely for transparency, good corporate governance, good ethics and being a fair employer.”
The board said it had dealt previously with issues concerning the employee in question. After a thorough investigation led by senior counsel, the investigation was closed. It had been found that there was no substance to the allegations.
“However, in [the] light of the new allegations as articulated in the Corruption Watch and Saftu letters, including the alleged abuse of power, the board of Eskom has taken urgent steps to address these allegations in a transparent process after Eskom’s governance principles and disciplinary codes.
“In the best interest of Eskom and both the complainant and the COO, the board has engaged the services of an independent senior counsel to investigate the allegations against the COO, and upon conclusion of such an investigation, to provide recommendations to the board.
“It is hoped that the conclusion of such an investigation, together with any subsequent actions that may be required, will bring about a fair and lasting resolution to the matter for all parties concerned,” the board said.
ORGANISATIONS ARTICULATE ALLEGATIONS OF CORRUPTION AND VICTIMISATION AGAINST THE CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
ESKOM’S EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT AND THE BOARD STAND FIRMLY AGAINST CORRUPTION, VICTIMISATION AND ABUSE OF POWER