A former top Eskom finance official, 46-year-old Mosai Barnard Moraka accused of stealing more than R34 million from the power utility, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Earlier this week on Tuesday, the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercialised Crimes Court sent fraud convicted Moraka – Eskom’s former financial controller – and his co-accused 51-year-old Victor Tshabalala, to prison.
The pair were found guilty of 53 counts of fraud, which cost Eskom more than R34.9 million.
Explaining how Moraka and Tshabalala stole from Eskom, Captain Ndivhuwo Mulamu said the pair connived to cash out fake invoices.
“It was reported that between 2016 and 2018 when Moraka was employed by Eskom as a financial controller, he fraudulently created fictitious payment invoices for coal transportation to Palesa Mine,” said Captain Mulamu.
Moraka made payment transactions into Merga Transport’s bank account.
However, when the matter was probed both Eskom and Palesa Mine revealed they did not have any contract with Merga Transport to move coal.
The matter was reported to Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation in Johannesburg.
Moraka and Tshabalala were subsequently arrested in October and November 2019.
They were both granted bail of R20 000 each.
To recover the money stolen from Eskom, the Asset Forfeiture division seized Moraka and Tshabalala’s fixed and movable properties worth a combined R12 million.
“In August last year, both the accused pleaded guilty to fraud and money laundering charges against them,” said Captain Mulamu.
“On Tuesday, 29 March the court successfully sentenced Moraka and Tshabalala to 20 years direct imprisonment with no option of fine.”
