The case against the former Eskom chief executive Matshela Koko and seven others has been postponed to March 2023.
Matshela and his co-accused appeared at the Middelburg Specialised Crimes Court in Mpumalanga following their arrest on Thursday.
The other accused in the matter are former SA Local Government Association chief executive Thabo Mokwena, Koko’s wife, Mosima Koko, and his two stepdaughters Koketso Aren and Thato Choma. Eskom Project Director at Kusile Hlupheka Sithole, Lawyer Johannes Coetzee and Watson Seswai.
The group faces multiple charges of fraud, corruption and money laundering. They are implicated in multibillion-rand irregular contracts that were granted for the establishment of Eskom’s Kusile power station in 2015.
It is alleged that during Koko’s tenure, Eskom entered a multibillion-rand irregular contract with a Swiss engineering company, Asea Boveri (ABB), for the building of the Kusile power station worth R2-billion.
Another company, Impulse International, which was sub-contracted by ABB at the time, is also implicated in the matter. It is also alleged that Choma, who was a shareholder of the company at the time, benefited R30-million from the contract.
It is also alleged that Coetzee had set up money laundering vehicles to siphon money for the benefit of the Kokos.
National Prosecuting Authority Investigating Directorate spokesperson Sindisiwe Seboka explains: “In 2009, Eskom contracted with Alstom to undertake the C&I (Control and Instrumentation) contract at Kusile Power Station. Alstom did not perform. Eskom engineers recommended that Siemens be appointed. The State alleges that Group Executive Technology and Commercial Koko influenced and abused his position to have Siemens, Billfinger-Mauell and ABB invited to bid to a closed tender. Mauell dropped out of the tender process and ABB South Africa was eventually appointed in 2015. ABB was awarded the C&I multimillion rand contract. The State alleges that it then resulted in ABB South Africa appointing a company owned by Thabo Mokwena to provide skills development and industrialisation (SDL) work to the value of R96 million contract, excluding VAT.”
Seboka said in 2015 Sithole granted four variation orders to ABB to provide extra work which was not covered in the initial C&I contract. “The State alleges that money flowed from the multibillion-rand contract and that this was the first attempt to launder money on behalf of Koko.”
Seboka added: “In 2015- 2017 several contracts were awarded of which four form part of this matter for Impulse International. They were for providing Eskom and Rotek Industries with SAP work packages, specialised engineers and managers to oversee the different interphase contractors amongst other functions. The state further alleges that a portion of these contracts was used to butter hands.”
Koko has been granted bail of R300 000. While his wife and daughters, the lawyer, and Coetzee were granted bail of R70 000 each.
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