High-profile Politicians Connected to Eskom Corruption: Hawks Launch Investigation

In a significant move against corruption, South Africa's Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), commonly known as Hawks, confirmed that it is initiating a major investigation into deceptive activities within Eskom. Specifically, the Hawks are probing allegations made by former Eskom CEO, André de Ruyter, in the controversial Fivaz reports. These reports suggest the involvement of high-profile politicians in criminal cartels and corruption within the national power utility company.

Appending to the gravity of these allegations, the Special Investigating Unit's (SIU) Head, Andy Mothibi, confirmed the inclusion of senior politicians' names in the Fivaz reports. However, the SIU and DPCI plan to tread robustly and judiciously before publically citing anyone, emphasising the importance of concrete evidence to substantiate all claims and accusations.

The Fivaz reports, composed of 348 individual reports across 1,150 pages, imply that certain individuals and entities were recurrently implicated in dubious activities within Eskom, including corruption and sabotage. The SIU's preliminary examination of these publications has already identified 50 additional enterprises that were awarded contracts by Eskom, further extending the scope of the investigation.

Simultaneously, the SIU has initiated investigations into 31 contracts across eight power stations, awarded to seven companies with possible interconnections and common actors. The intention is to terminate any illegitimately granted contracts promptly and recover any lost Eskom funds.

As the investigation inches forward, it is expected that the DPCI, in collaboration with the SIU, will publicise the names involved when appropriate, thus unveiling another layer of the endemic corruption plaguing South Africa's parastatal industries.

The revelation of this investigation signifies a significant stride towards transparency and accountability within Eskom, striving to uproot potential corrupt networks within its hierarchy.