Matshela Koko knew Eskom executives would be suspended, former acting director tells Zondo commission
Former Eskom acting chief executive Matshela Koko Picture: Nicholas Rama
Johannesburg - The former acting financial director at Eskom has testified at the Zondo commission that former Eskom executive Matshela Koko knew ahead of time that four Eskom executives would be suspended in March 2015.
Nonkululeko Dlamini took the stand at the inquiry on Wednesday. The commission is this week investigating events surrounding the suspension of four Eskom executives in March 2015 as a “fact-finding” inquiry was to be appointed.
Dlamini had worked at Eskom since 2003 and had been promoted several times. In March 2015, she was serving in a position in the entities financial department.
She recalled that on March 10, 2015, she was attending a strategic conference and was called several times by Koko, who then was in charge of commerce and technology.
Koko insisted that Dlamini should meet him in Melrose Arch. She said she could not do so because she was in an important strategic conference.
Koko had also requested that she send him her CV.
She said she did but later found that the email did not go through. When the conference concluded, she decided to meet Koko in Midrand at a fast-food restaurant.
She said Koko told her that Eskom executives would be suspended in the coming days and that she may be asked to act as acting financial director. Dlamini also confirmed that she forwarded her CV to Koko.
“He indicated that there is a possibility that I may be asked to act. My thought was that he was acting on behalf of the board,” Dlamini responded when asked if she had inquired why Koko sought her CV.
Four Eskom executives were indeed suspended on March 11 and 12 2015 - and Koko was one of them.
The others included chief executive Tshidiso Matona, Dan Marokane and Tsholofelo Molefe, who was Dlamini’s boss and served as financial director.
Dlamini’s evidence, that she was called by Koko, has been corroborated by Molefe, who took the stand on Tuesday.
Dlamini acted as financial director at the power utility until July 2015 when she left the company.
Political Bureau