Middelburg – A company director implicated in a multi-million rand fraud scheme targeting Eskom’s Tutuka Power Station has been sentenced to 12 years in prison and ordered to repay Eskom more than R2million.
The Middelburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Mpumalanga handed down the sentence against Jessie Phindile Kubheka, a director and majority shareholder of one of the implicated companies, on 22 August 2025.
The court sentenced Kubheka to 12 years in prison for fraud, suspended for five years under strict conditions, and a further four years for money laundering, also suspended for five years.
She was also ordered to repay R2 595 000 siphoned from Eskom.
The sentencing relates to a 2020 case where an Eskom investigation uncovered a syndicate that was paid to deliver three containers to the power station.
Only one container was delivered, and it failed to meet specifications.
While each container was valued at R60 000, the syndicate used grossly inflated invoices to defraud Eskom of R2.6 million.
“Our commitment to eliminating corruption remains unwavering, and these developments send a clear message: fraud and corruption will not be tolerated,” said Eskom Group Chief Executive, Dan Marokane.
“The vast majority of Eskom employees act with integrity and dedication.
“We will pursue those who betray the organisation and the country with our law enforcement partners and seek prosecutions wherever possible.”
Eskom has consolidated its forensic and investigative functions into the Group Investigations and Security (GIS) Division, which reports directly to the CEO, to accelerate such probes.
The utility continues to urge the public and employees to anonymously report fraud via the Eskom Crime Line (0800 11 27 22) or WhatsApp (081 333 3323).
*This article first appeared in our sister publication techfinancials.co.za
