Ex-Eskom CEO Brian Molefe has received a R30 million payout from state owned power utility, Eskom, despite only serving at the company for 18 months, the Sunday Times reported.<\/p>\n
Molefe resigned as CEO of Eskom at the end of 2016, following the release of the Public Protector\u2019s State Capture report, in which he was implicated as having a close relationship with the controversial Gupta family.<\/p>\n
The report contained phone call records, showing that Molefe and the Gupta brothers had made 58 phone calls to each other in a small window of time.<\/p>\n
This was over and above allegations contained in the report that the Gupta family had received preferential treatment by Eskom, and were even \u2018bailed out\u2019 by the power utility, where Eskom funded the family\u2019s acquisition of Optimum coal mines.<\/p>\n
Molefe has since been sworn in as a Member of Parliament representing the ANC of the North West Province, in February.<\/p>\n
Documents from Eskom seen by the Sunday Times showed that Molefe was paid R30.1-million on March 23, which was described as \u201cvery irregular\u201d.<\/p>\n
One document listed the sum under \u201cseparation\/severance cost\u201d while another listed it as an \u201cEskom pension fund\u201d payment, the paper said.<\/p>\n
The Sunday Times reported that Molefe\u2019s package as Eskom CEO was R8 million a year. Eskom has a history of paying its executives high salaries despite its struggles operationally.<\/p>\n
Eskom board spokesman Khulani Qoma said: \u201cWe declare all our directors\u2019 emoluments in our annual report, which is due in June.\u00a0 No amount was paid …\u00a0 over and above the remuneration due to him as\u00a0 end of 2016.”<\/p>\n