Page 12 - AfrElec Week 43 2022

AfrElec ESKOM AfrElec

Former acting Eskom CEO,

wife, stepdaughter arrested

on corruption charges

SOUTH AFRICA SOUTH Africa’s Investigating Directorate of the matter to the South African Police Service
the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has (SAPS).
arrested former Eskom acting chief executive Koko’s long-time friend Thabo Owen
Matshela Koko, his wife Mosima and stepdaugh- Mokoena was also arrested, along with four
ter Koketso Choma on charges of corruption. others; however, News24 has not yet confirmed
The charges relate to a multibillion-rand con- their identities. Mokoena’s company Leago Engi-
tract state-owned power utility Eskom entered neering was initially awarded a ZAR96mn sub-
into with Swiss engineering conglomerate Asea contract by ABB prior to Impulse International.
Brown Boveri (ABB) in 2015, News24 reported Investigating Directorate spokesperson Sin-
on October 27. disiwe Seboka said on Thursday (October 27)
The ZAR2bn ($108mn) contract was that all eight accused would appear in the Mid-
awarded to ABB to install control and instru- delburg Regional Court.
mentation systems at the Kusile power station News24 understands that ABB’s internal
in Mpumalanga. ABB subcontracted a local investigation gained evidence of meetings
company, Impulse International, where Koko’s between Koko and key ABB executives. The judi-
stepdaughter Choma was a shareholder. cial commission of inquiry into state capture, led
Impulse reportedly made ZAR549mn on the by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, found that
deal, with at least ZAR30mn going to Choma, Koko was “an integral component of the Gupta
and a further ZAR28mn paid out in alleged family’s strategy to capture Eskom.”
bribes to ABB employees and other unidentified Zondo recommended that Koko should be
individuals. criminally investigated for a raft of state cap-
While the official charge sheet is yet to be ture-related crimes, including the ABB deal and
made public, News24 has learned that Koko’s the Guptas’ controversial Tegeta deal, writes
arrest comes in the wake of a long criminal inves- News24.™
tigation into alleged corruption around the deal
that first started in 2017 when Eskom reported

P12 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 43 26•October•2022