#StateCaptureInquiry: Eskom's Mashigo to testify on contracts, corruption

Share this article: Share Tweet Share Share Share Email Share

Johannesburg - The Zondo Inquiry will on Tuesday continue hearing evidence of corruption at Eskom as Daniel Mashigo, acting senior general manager for primary energy division, is set to testify. Mashigo will be the second witness from the power utility, and is expected to testify about contracts at two coal mines in Brakfontein and Koornfontein owned by the Gupta family. Mashigo's testimony will follow Eskom board chairperson Jabu Mabuza, who concluded testifying on Monday afternoon. In concluding his testimony, Mabuza asked the Commission of Inquiry to invite former Eskom executives to testify about their roles in capturing the power utility, including Brian Molefe, Ben Ngubane, Suzanne Daniels, Anoj Singh, Zethembe Khoza, Ayanda Ntetha, Matshela Koko, and consultants Eric Wood and Salim Essa. Mabuza told the Zondo Inquiry on Monday that important decisions about the power utility were being made by people outside of its appointed structures during Matshela Koko's tenure as interim chief executive in 2015.

He also reiterated his allegation that emails retrieved from Koko's server show that Eskom's confidential documents were, in 2015, sent to the email address which was linked to Salim Essa, believed to be an associate of the notorious Gupta family.

Mabuza alleged that Koko leaked confidential documents to show the Gupta family that he was on its side, and also to benefit their businesses from Eskom contracts.

Mabuza also implicated former Eskom head of legal and compliance, Suzanne Daniels, in leaking Eskom documents to associates of the Guptas about the coal supply agreement with Optimum Coal and allegedly put under an Eskom letterhead some letters they had written.

Other emails also linked former Eskom CFO Anoj Singh for allegedly leaking confidential Eskom documents to Regiments CEO, Eric Wood, and vice versa in which Wood gave Singh banking details of Gupta-owned Tegeta Resources.

Mabuza said Eskom has laid four charges against Koko, among others, for lying to Parliament and for sending confidential corporate information to Essa.

As for Daniels, Mabuza said the power utility brought three charges against her for sending emails to Essa, for her role in the McKinsey matter and Optimum Coal, and also for paying about R800 000 from Eskom's money in legal fees for former board chairperson Ben Ngubane's hearings at the SABC.

At the beginning of his testimony, Mabuza denied any conflict of interest as he has a shareholding in a company that does maintenance work to a third of Eskom boilers and is also in a joint venture with his in-laws in coal mining companies that do business with Eskom.

African News Agency (ANA)