‘Bribery at Eskom’

CC MEMBER AND HIS BOSS BOTH FACE SUSPENSION

Suspicious amounts that flowed through a bank account linked to a key Eskom official since 2015 may be as much as R60 million. This follows allegations that a contractor at Eskom’s Kusile project, Tubular Construction Projects (TCP), paid R20 million in bribes into Hlakudi Translation and Interpretation CC’s bank account. France Hlakudi, Eskom’s contract manager at Kusile and Medupi, is the only CC member.

Hlakudi allegedly colluded with Tubular leaders to by-pass Alstom and its sub-contractor SXP and have Eskom deal directly with Tubular in a R708 million Kusile contract that has since grown to R1.2 billion.

Eskom and the police are investigating the matter. Moneyweb was told the docket was sent to the National Prosecuting Authority and arrests are imminent.

Hlakudi earlier denied the allegations.

Moneyweb has seen information that indicates about 20 payments totalling R20 million were made into the account of Hlakudi Translation and Interpretation from Tubular and subsidiary Abeyla Trading since January 2015.

Payments from Tubular and other entities over the period totalled R60 million, of which R14 million was withdrawn in cash. On September 1 2015, R900 000 cash was withdrawn and the same on November 9 2015. On May 20 2016 the cash withdrawn amounted to R3 million.

At least three other entities with apparent construction links made payments into the account over the period.

Eskom spokesperson Khulu Phasiwe confirmed Hlakudi and his boss Abram Masango were facing suspension relating to the bribery and contract manipulation allegations at Kusile.

Eskom received a progress report from investigators on October 3 implicating Hlakudi in bribery and contract manipulation at Kusile.

Unless suspended, he’ll remain in a position where he can influence multimillion-rand contracts at Medupi and Kusile. Phasiwe said Masango, group executive: group capital when the events occurred, has been served with a letter asking him to provide reasons why he shouldn’t be suspended. A similar process is underway regarding Hlakudi, he said. Phasiwe said Frans Sithole, Kusile project manager at the time but who has since resigned, will be called for proceedings dealing with the alleged bribery and contract manipulation at Kusile.

Both Masango and Sithole are accused of protecting Hlakudi, but little substantial evidence is

R14 million was withdrawn in cash.

provided.

Suspended Eskom interim group CEO Matshela Koko gave an instruction on February 1 to have Hlakudi removed from Kusile and recalled Masango in March to work in his office. He then appointed Prish Govender as acting group executive for group capital. Govender has since been suspended over alleged unlawful payments to Gupta-linked Trillian and Peter Sebola is now acting in the position.

One of six charges against Koko relates to his alleged unprocedural removal of Hlakudi and another Kusile worker.

He’s expected to testify about the matter when his disciplinary hearing resumes later this month.

In the meantime, Koko was named by suspended Eskom legal head Suzanne Daniels in parliament as a culprit in the unlawful payment of hundreds of millions of rands to Trillian, but none of Eskom’s charges against him relate to the matter.

Koko’s disciplinary hearing is widely seen as a farce and Eskom has been accused of driving the process half-heartedly to allow Koko to be found not guilty and return to work.