Eskom's R1.5bn blunder - paying back the money not enough, says DA

Eskom’s decision to recover more than R1.5 billion from consulting firm McKinsey and politically connected Trillian is evidence enough of wrongdoing‚ says the Democratic Alliance (DA).

The parastatal – which initially lied to Parliament‚ saying it had not paid Trillian a cent – now says the money appears to have been paid unlawfully and has asked the consultancies to repay it.

DA MP Natasha Mazzone said: “Eskom’s decision to recover these monies is evidence that there was in fact wrongdoing and that these payments were not above board.

“After months of defending these payments‚ the power utility now wants to recover the money.”

Mazzone said simply paying back the money was not enough. “Those responsible for these unlawful payments must be held accountable.”

Business Day reported on Friday that Eskom paid R1.6 billion to McKinsey and to the Gupta family-linked Trillian in 2016.

The parastatal did not follow its own procurement regulations or obtain an exemption from Treasury for tendering procedures.

Eskom has suspended at least five senior managers implicated in the saga.

“Had the DA not caught Eskom out in the lie by submitting a Parliamentary question to the Public Enterprises Minister‚ Lynne Brown‚ regarding the relationship between Eskom‚ McKinsey and Trillian‚ Eskom would have never come clean‚” said Mazzone.

“Even more absurd is the fact that the power utility investigated these payments itself.”