Eskom board chair confirms utility’s head of legal services has been suspended – report

Eskom board chairperson Zethembe Khoza has reportedly confirmed that head of legal services Suzanne Daniels was suspended this week.

Daniels has been accused of spending money irregularly after taking her staff on a team-building exercise in April that cost the utility about R50 000, an amount that apparently has not yet been paid, Eyewitness News has reported.

She confirmed to the publication she received a notice of suspension for the bill.

She has also been accused of not adhering to instructions to answer a parliamentary question and of destroying crucial documents, though a forensic report has apparently found no evidence of this.

Speaking to TimesLive, Khoza confirmed Daniels’ suspension.

He said the board had recommended to Eskom chief executive Johnny Dladla that “corrective action” be taken against Daniels after the allegations were discussed at a board meeting.

Daniels compiled a report implicating senior managers in the Trillian scandal‚ which cost the state-owned power utility more than R1.6 billion.

The utility’s CFO, Anoj Singh, and three others involved in the Trillian scandal have been suspended and face disciplinary action.

In a statement on Thursday, Eskom said it was taking action in returning R1 billion and R564 million that appears to have been unlawfully paid out in 2016 and 2017.

“The interim findings from Eskom investigations, into the circumstances surrounding payments made to both the companies, point to certain decisions by Eskom and resultant payments as being unlawful.

“Eskom is obliged, pursuant to its statutory and common law duties, including the PFMA [Public Finance Management Act] and the Companies Act, to seek to set aside these unlawful decisions and to have all the money unlawfully paid out returned. Accordingly, Eskom wrote to each explaining the action it would take and requesting their cooperation in the matter.

“Being such a critical entity, which is inextricably tied to the nation’s economy, it is in the public interest to do everything we can as Eskom to claw back all the fees which were unlawfully paid, while expediting the disciplinary processes currently under way,” it said.

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