A former Eskom financial controller and his partner in crime have been sentenced to an effective 20 years in prison each after being found guilty on 53 counts of fraud and theft that cost the state-owned electricity utility almost R35-million.

Eskom said on Thursday that the pair, former financial controller Mosai Barnard Moraka and former service provider Vilosi Tshabalala were sentenced in the Palm Ridge commercial crimes court. Both individuals will forfeit their properties, which were placed under a preservation order in November 2021, to the state. They will be sold and the proceeds paid directly to Eskom.

The two were arrested in October 2019 following an investigation initiated by Eskom’s audit and forensics department. “The thieves had stolen just under R35-million from Eskom in a corruption scam that occurred between January 2016 and September 2018, perpetrated through the creation of fictitious invoices and payment for services not rendered to Meagra Transportation, a company owned by Tshabalala,” Eskom said.

Moraka was convicted for fraudulently creating 53 invoices and then paying Meagra Transportation. The proceeds of the crime were squandered on expensive overseas travel, including holiday trips to Disneyland in the US and Paris in France. The crooks also bought luxury cars and properties, the utility said.

“This is another welcome milestone in Eskom’s efforts to weed out corruption within its ranks,” said Eskom CEO André de Ruyter in a statement.

“While the sums involved in this particular case are relatively modest, the conviction and sentencing of these criminals should send a strong message to all Eskom employees that corrupt elements have no place in the organisation. This is only one of the many cases of corruption that Eskom is pursuing involving staff.

“What is most pleasing about this judgement is that the taxpayers will recover some of the stolen funds through the sale of the ill-gotten property belonging to the convicts,” De Ruyter said. – © 2022 NewsCentral Media