Luxury home and cars linked to Eskom water transport corruption are auctioned to recover money Eskom lost

3 April 2024

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU), through the National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU), has obtained a forfeiture order for luxury property in Silver Lakes Estates (Pretoria), a Mercedes Benz Viano and Chevrolet Utility that belongs to former Eskom’s Middle Manager Duduzile Moyo and her husband, Mmoloki Moyo. These movable and immobile properties will now be auctioned to recover the loss that Eskom’s Kusile Power Station suffered.

The forfeiture order, 20 March 2024, by the High Court of South Africa: Gauteng Division, Pretoria is an addition to a preservation order that has been served against Ms Moyo. In September 2022, the SIU obtained a preservation order from the Special Tribunal to freeze her pension benefits after she handed in her resignation earlier that month.

She had allegedly received almost R25 million from an Eskom vendor, Tamukelo Business Enterprise, which was appointed to transport raw materials and water from Kendal Power Stations to Kusile Power Station. The order emanates from the SIU’s investigations into Ms Moyo’s conduct as Eskom’s Supply Manager/Contracts Manager/Employer’s Representative who contracted a business named Tamukelo. Tamukelo was appointed to transport raw and potable water from Kendal Power Station to Kusile Power Station.

In her position as Eskom Contracts Manager, Ms Moyo signed 23 interim payment certificates in respect of Tamukelo’s services for the period December 2011 to July 2014, totalling approximately R138 million. Furthermore, the SIU probe revealed that Tamukelo and its representatives paid entities linked or associated with Moyo while she negotiated and managed Eskom’s contract with Tamukelo. Moyo's modus operandi was to create structures of entities owned by members of her family and friends to receive these funds.

There was an apparent conflict of interest in that she received these funds in circumstances where part of her duties and functions were as a Middle Manager. Moyo was also part of a team that presented the negotiation strategy of the Tamukelo tender worth over R300 million to the tender and procurement committee. She also deceived Eskom and repeatedly made fraudulent misrepresentations, declaring that there was no conflict of interest when dealing with Tamukelo and other role players for five years when signing Eskom’s Annual Declaration of Conflict Interest Policy.

This forfeiture order is part of implementing the National Anti-Corruption Strategy, which sees law enforcement agencies working together to eradicate corruption in South Africa. The SIU was authorised by President Cyril Ramaphosa in terms of Proclamation R11 of 2018 to investigate allegations of corruption and maladministration in Eskom's affairs and the conduct of Eskom officials and to recover any financial losses suffered by the State.

Statement issued by Kaizer Kganyago, Spokesperson: Special Investigating Unit, 3 April 2024