Eskom whistle-blower back at work after winning CCMA case

The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) has ordered Eskom to lift the suspension of its head of legal and compliance Suzanne Daniels.

This after Daniels took the power utility to the CCMA after she was suspended in October. She had been accused, among other allegations, of spending R50 000 on a team-building exercise.

The CCMA found that the suspension was unfair and ordered Eskom to pay Daniels five months’ salary.

She is expected to return to work on 19 March.

Daniels blew the whistle on alleged Eskom corruption involving R1.6 billion in payments to the Gupta-linked Trillian and international consultancy firm McKinsey.

The power utility had never had a contract with Trillian’s subsidiaries, but made at least two payments of R30 million and R500 million for consultancy fees, even though Trillian reportedly only had two employees at the time.

Daniels testified in a parliamentary that the actions were “brazen theft”.

She named then Eskom executives Matshela Koko, Anoj Singh, Edwin Mabalane, Prish Govender and Charles Kalima as being implicated.

Daniels said she gave an internal report to then public enterprises minister Lynne Brown, who has since been fired.

After she compiled the report, Eskom moved to suspend her.

She said she subsequently faced death threats.

McKinsey is yet to repay R1 billion it received from Eskom through the Trillian deal.