The arrest this week of another suspect linked to a R2.2bn fraud case involving the construction of the Kusile power station has added impetus to efforts to turn the beleaguered station’s fortunes around.
Business owner Lese’tsa Johannes Mutchinya, the 18th accused in the case, was released on R100,000 bail after being charged in the Middelburg specialised commercial court on Wednesday.
Others facing charges are: former South African Local Government Association CEO Thabo Mokwena; Eskom’s former interim CEO Matshela Koko, his wife Mosima Koko and Koko’s stepdaughters Koketso Aren and Thato Choma; Eskom project director at Kusile Frans Sithole; lawyer Johannes Coetzee; businessman Watson Seswai; two Germans who are former employees of the multinational ABB, Sunil Vip and Markus Bruegmann; and Briton Gopal Shamji Kambi, a Kusile contractor. Several companies are also charged.
Investigating Directorate spokesperson Sindisiwe Seboka said Mutchinya faces charges of money laundering “for ostensibly laundering R3.1m resulting from corrupt dealings through his companies”.
“The companies allegedly used to launder money are still to be added in the next court appearance,” Seboka said.
Kusile’s general manager in charge of construction, Zandi Shange, said the arrest was heartening.
“The Kusile family appreciates the fact that there has been another arrest and progress in the work done by Eskom’s security and the police. It shows that the powers-that-be are serious about curbing criminality,” she told the Sunday Times.
Shange said the culture at Kusile had changed for the better.
“Nobody is turning a blind eye to criminality. Eskom people now know if you do wrong there will be consequences. People now understand that if we turn a blind eye to something that is wrong, our utility will go down the drain,” she said.
“When people started seeing criminal matters being reported and consequences following, like investigations and arrests, they started thinking twice before putting their hands in the jar.
“Our security is more visible now and we have systems like procurement which are now more stringent. There is more openness, and more audits are being done. We also had lifestyle audits done some time back,” said Shange.
When people started seeing criminal matters being reported and consequences following, like investigations and arrests, they started thinking twice before putting their hands in the jar
— Zandi Shange
“There is now a sense of alertness when it comes to these matters, and we encourage our colleagues to live within their means. But now our focus is moving from looking for what is wrong to a point where we want to encourage people [who are] doing what is right to keep doing what they are doing.”
The plant — where only one of six units is currently operating — is now focusing on fixing the chimney-like structure, the stack, which partly collapsed in October last year.
“There is a separate investigation into what caused the issues with the stack,” Shange said.
“But what we have seen is a build-up of slurry inside it. The slurry came from the plant and that is not supposed to happen. This caused it to become too heavy and part of it broke off. A decision was made to rather play it safe than take the chance of a catastrophic failure.”
She said that repairs to the permanent stack would take at least until December next year, so a temporary stack was being erected as an emergency measure. This stack would bypass the desulphurisation process.
“We have gotten environmental exemption for this. The original stack would have reduced the sulphur dioxide [SO2] we are releasing into the atmosphere … There are environmental appeals we must deal with.”
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