Former Eskom chief executive officer Matshela Koko has lashed out at the National Prosecuting Authority after fraud, corruption and money laundering cases against him and his co-accused were struck off the roll yesterday. The Middelburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Mpumalanga found that the delays in the completion of the investigation in the case were unreasonable subsequent to an inquiry in terms of section 342A of the Criminal Procedure Act. 

Matshela was fingered in the R2.2 billion Eskom Kusile matter that dates back to 2019. The case involves charges of corruption in an R2.2bn control and instrumentation tender won by Zabb, the local division of the Swedish-Swiss firm ABB. Koko, who was the power utility's CEO at the time, is alleged to have played a big role in the irregular awarding of contracts to Impulse International, ABB and other subcontractors for the building of the Kusile Power Station valued at R2 billion. He was arrested last year alongside his wife Mosima Koko, his stepdaughter Koketso Aren, SALGA chief executive officer Thabo Mokwena, Thato Choma, Eskom project director at Kusile Hlupheka Sithole, Lawyer Johannes Coetzee, Watson Seswai and Lese'tsa Johannes Mutchinya.

Addressing the media outside court after the proceedings, Koko said NPA tried to destroy his family. "You can't make such allegations, investigate them for more than five years, bring me to court, wake me up at 6 am and more than 12 months later, you're not ready to go to trial. What we see here is a hate crime. What has happened to me and my family is nothing else but hate crime. It's hate for Koko. It should never happen to any family," he said. "Justice cuts both ways. There are serious allegations made by the State against me. The public expects that these allegations must be answered. I think we're taking South Africans for a ride. The National Prosecuting Authority is doing South Africans a big disservice." 

Investigating Directorate spokesperson Sindisiwe Seboka said that the NPA is confident that the Eskom Kusile R2.2 billion matter will be re-enrolled as soon as outstanding aspects of the investigation are completed. "It should be noted that this decision is not tantamount to an acquittal or withdrawal of the charges. The Investigating Directorate will continue investigating the case in line with the original case strategy that it developed for this complex matter. "The issues raised by the court have been noted.  The delays were not anticipated at the time of the arrest of the accused due to the complex nature of the case, the extent and the sheer volume and the digital nature of the evidence seized in particular subsequent to the arrest and enrolment," she said. Seboka further said that the work on the compilation of the outstanding reports is ongoing. "The ID will re-apply for the matter to be re-enrolled within a reasonable period of time, and as soon as the outstanding aspects of the investigation have been completed," she said.