Hefty sentences handed to two Eskom fraudsters
The Palm Ridge Commercial Crimes Court has sentenced a former Eskom employee and a supplier to 20 years behind bars for defrauding the utility of some R35 million.
The duo were arrested in October 2019 following an investigation by Eskom into possible fraud.
Former financial controller Mosai Moraka and service provider Victor Tshabalala were each found guilty of 53 counts of fraud and theft.
The court also granted an order which will see Moraka and Tshabalala forfeit their properties to the state.
The properties have been under a preservation order since November 2021.
The proceeds will be paid back to the utility.
Eskom CEO André de Ruyter has lauded the sentences as a milestone in the utility’s efforts to root out corruption.
"While the sums involved in this particular case are relatively modest, the conviction and sentencing of these criminals should send a strong message to all Eskom employees that corrupt elements have no place in the organisation,” De Ruyter says.
“This is only one of the many cases of corruption that Eskom is pursuing involving staff. What is most pleasing about this judgment is that the taxpayers will recover some of the stolen funds through the sale of the ill-gotten property belonging to the convicts.”
