Eskom’s primary energy GM Daniel Mashigo to testify at Zondo inquiry on Tuesday
Charles Molele
The Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture continues and will on Tuesday hear testimony from general manager for Eskom’s primary energy division Dan Mashigo.
Mashigo is set to testify about how Eskom entered into a dodgy multi-billion rand coal contract with the Gupta-owned Tegeta Brakfontein mine.
According to records, Eskom allegedly gave Tegeta preferential treatment despite the Brakfontein coal mine not passing quality checks.
The coal supply agreement with Tegeta for the supply of coal from its Brakfontein coal mine was initially valued at approximately R3.7 billion over 10 years.
On Monday, Eskom board chairperson Jabu Mabuza told the Zondo Commission about the spiralling costs of the Medupi and Khusile power plants.
He accused former Eskom GCEO Matshela Koko of leaking confidential documents to Gupta associate Salim Essa in an attempt to help their companies win tenders at the power utility.
Meanwhile, the Economic Freedom Front (EFF) continued to call for Mabuza to resign with immediate effect because of a serious conflict of interest.
“The EFF calls on Mabuza to step down, the same way other people who had direct or indirect interests at Eskom stepped down. Eskom is vulnerable and on a brink of a total collapse. Only women and men of credibility, without any direct and indirect interest in any way whatsoever, should be given a chance to lead Eskom out of the crisis. We will not have faith in his leadership and decisions at Eskom as long as we know of his links to some evergreen contracts awarded to companies that he owns and his indirect links to IPPs,” the party said in a statement at the weekend.
The red berets said they were shocked by the revelations at the Zondo Commission of Inquiry that Mabuza is an executive chair of Sphere Investments, which allegedly maintains a third of Eskom’s boilers.
