In connection with a R745 million fraud case at the Kusile power station, former Eskom contractor Micheal Lomas is about to be extradited from the UK to South Africa.
The directorate submitted an extradition request to UK authorities, which a UK court has since approved.
Sindisiwe Seboka of the Investigating Directorate stated that Lomas is scheduled to show up in the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on April 5, 2019.
“The judgment was handed down yesterday. The next step is for the court to submit their recommendations to the UK secretary of state under the UN Convention of Corruption 2003 for the further step to be taken.”
Meanwhile, Eskom’s CEO Andre de Ruyter officially resigned on Thursday. This comes following a flurry of public attacks on him led by Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe, Gordhan’s and President Cyril Ramaphosa’s subsequent inability to support him and his management publicly.
Days ago, Mantashe said Eskom was “actively agitating for the overthrow of the state”. Neither Ramaphosa nor Gordhan replied to Mantashe’s accusation. They also did not offer support to De Ruyter and his management.
De Ruyter’s resignation may cause a number of other senior executives and engineers to leave. Jan Oberholzer, De Ruyter’s number two and chief operating officer, will also retire in April 2023.
South Africa has been battling worsening bouts of load shedding this year, with Stage 7 in view. Eskom has repeatedly said that the dire state of its aging coal fleet means that breakdowns will increase, and that maintenance cannot be postponed. The government has, however, dragged its feet to install additional generation capacity.
De Ruyter, who assumed his position on Christmas Day in 2019, has recently been severely criticised for Eskom’s performance, despite the company providing regular briefings and detailed information about the decrepit state of the country’s electricity infrastructure.