Crime Intel

DA denounces Koko’s disciplinary hearing as a sham

The Democratic Alliance has denounced reinstated Eskom chief executive officer Matshela Koko’s disciplinary hearing as a sham and said it would be pursuing legal action against him. Koko was brought before a disciplinary committee after it came to light earlier this ear that he had reportedly awarded lucrative Eskom contracts to a company linked to…

The Democratic Alliance has denounced reinstated Eskom chief executive officer Matshela Koko’s disciplinary hearing as a sham and said it would be pursuing legal action against him.

Koko was brought before a disciplinary committee after it came to light earlier this ear that he had reportedly awarded lucrative Eskom contracts to a company linked to his step-daughter, as well as approving a R650-million loan from Eskom to Gupta-linked Tegeta, which allowed the business to buy Optimum coal mine.

The contracts that Koko is reported to have awarded Impulse International – the company connected to his step-daughter – is believed to be worth around R1-billion.

DA Shadow Minister of Public Enterprises Natasha Mazzone denounced the hearing as a farce and said it was time for the Hawks (the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation in South Africa) to investigate.

“The hearing has been a complete and absolute farce from beginning to end. Koko was allegedly consulted on the appointment of the chairperson for his own disciplinary hearing,” Mazzone said in a statement released on Friday.

“It is quite clear that this disciplinary hearing was never meant to investigate these serious allegations brought against Koko, but was rather a move to have him reinstated,” Mazzone added.

Mazzone pointed out that the hearing was riddled with reports of key witnesses failing to appear as a result of intimidation and manipulation, as well as the delays encountered, including the replacement of the initial evidence, Sebetja Matsaung, who appeared ill-prepared and ineffectual.

The DA Shadow Minister said that as it appeared that neither Eskom nor Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown would hold the “seemingly captured and heavily implicated Koko to account”, it was time for the Hawks to step in.

The party will thus be laying charges against Koko on Monday, December 18.