Former Eskom executive Mangope France Hlakudi has appeared in court on a R30m tax fraud charge.
Hlakudi, the former Eskom senior manager for group capital, made a brief appearance at the specialised commercial crimes court in Pretoria on Wednesday, said Hawks spokesperson Brig Hangwani Mulaudzi.
This followed a joint investigation by the serious commercial crime unit and the revenue service Sars, said Mulaudzi.
“Hlakudi has been charged for contravening the Tax Administration Act for allegedly not declaring his income during the period 2016-2018, with Sars losing approximately R30m. He is charged, firstly, in his personal capacity and, secondly, as a director of three entities.
“Hlakudi is out on a warning and the case has been postponed to May 27 2020,” said Mulaudzi.
This court appearance will come two days after he is set to appear in court, this time in a R745m fraud and corruption case linked to the Kusile power plant.
He and his three co-accused in that matter were released on R300,000 bail, with the matter postponed to May 25 2020.
Hlakudi and another former Eskom senior executive, Abram Masango, appeared alongside Tubular Construction CEO Tony Trindade and Mike Lomas, the company’s former chair. They face allegations that kickbacks were paid linked to the illegal awarding of contracts in the building of Kusile.
