Eskom boss’ controversial e-toll past
A report in the Sunday Times outlines Eskom’s interim boss, Collin Matjila’s controversial past – including his involvement in Gauteng’s e-tolling project.
The former National Energy Regulator of SA chairman Matjila will be acting chief executive of Eskom when current CEO Brian Dames steps down next week, the power utility said on Thursday.
Matjila is CEO of Cosatu’s investment arm Kopano Ke Matla, and chairman of the Eskom tender board, and is also a former chairman of construction group Raubex.
However, the Sunday Times notes that his time at Kopano included controversy. Matjila stepped down from is position at Raubex in 2012, “to prevent any perceived conflicts of interest in considering Raubex’s involvement with national roads privatisation projects”.
He resigned when it was established that Kopano, a shareholder in Raubex, benefited indirectly from Raubex’s involvement in Gauteng’s e-tolling project.
The Sunday paper also pointed out that the Financial Services Board withdrew Kopano’s licence to manage employee benefits in June 2012, saying that Kopano Ke Matla Employee Benefits “has no administration capability and materially failed” to comply with requirements related to “serious transgressions and possible criminality”.
The board also identified a payment of R1.33 million to Summerlane, an entity related to Matjila, which it described as “unusual and suspicious”.
Matjila’s name was also mentioned in the controversy around the sale of Cosatu’s headquarters and the purchase of another building in Johannesburg. Kopano acted as transaction adviser to Cosatu on both deals.
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