Maritz axed over McKinsey letter

The power utility says an investigation has been launched into the circumstances which led to Maritz telling McKinsey that the contract it had in place with Eskom was in fact lawful.

Spokesperson, Khulu Phasiwe, says Maritz wrote the letter in January informing the consultancy firm that the monies it received from Eskom was in fact legitimate.

In October the power utility said it sought to recover R1 billion from McKinsey, which it insists was paid unlawfully.

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At the time, Eskom said the payments were never disclosed or singed off and that McKinsey never had a valid contract with the power utility. 

Phasiwe says Maritz suggests that he was instructed by the previous board to write the letter contradicting the official Eskom stance. 

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"In the letter he wrote this year he was saying to McKinsey there was nothing wrong with the payments and therefore everything was legitimate. However, in the same letter he said because McKinsey had made a promise in Parliament that they will pay back the money, we still want the money anyway even though we say that the initial payments made to McKinsey were lawful."