Eskom COO cleared of corruption, dishonesty and abuse of power

Eskom chief operating officer Jan Oberholzer has been cleared of corruption, dishonesty, conflict of interest and abuse of power, the power utility announced on Wednesday.

Allegations emerged last month that Oberholzer was a shareholder in construction firm Stefanutti Stock, one of the companies that allegedly defrauded Eskom of close to R140bn.

The Sunday Independent reported that Oberholzer owned shares in Stefanutti Stocks, and said that he held several meetings with the company’s directors shortly after his appointment at Eskom in 2018.

Following the allegations, the Eskom board appointed an external senior counsel to conduct an investigation into the allegations.

The senior counsel started his investigation on March 20 and his report was submitted to the board on April 4.

Eskom said the investigation involved interviewing witnesses and reviewing information and documentary evidence provided by witnesses, including the complainant and other Eskom officials.

“The senior counsel has found no basis to the allegations of dishonesty, corruption, conflict of interest and abuse of power levelled against the COO. With regard to the allegations of a conflict of interest regarding Stefanutti Stocks, the senior counsel found that proper disclosure had been made of Mr Oberholzer’s shareholding in Stefanutti Stocks, and that 'this is not a matter in which he should face a disciplinary hearing'," said Eskom in a statement.