Ramokgopa refutes 'conflict of interest' claims in Oberholzer scoring R9.5bn battery storage tender
Ramokgopa told MPs on Wednesday there was 'no substantial evidence' to back up allegations of 'conflict of interests' between Eskom and Oberholzer's Mulilo Energy scoring a R9.5bn battery-storage tender, as part of the utility's renewable energy programmes.
Ramokgopa was responding to oral questions from MPs in the National Assembly on Wednesday during the appearance of cabinet ministers in the economic cluster.
MK Party MP Sipho Mbatha, who had put the question to Ramokgopa, had made the allegation of a conflict of interest in the deal between Eskom and Mulilo Energy.
The business transaction has also been slammed by other parties such the EFF, the Black Business Council, and trade unions such the NUM.
But Ramokgopa stuck to his guns, telling lawmakers that no evidence of a conflict of interest or any form of wrongdoing had been found during Eskom's due diligence on the Mulilo transaction.
'Mulilo did comply with the requirement of public disclosure. They made it known to the independent procurement office that its chairperson is a former COO of Eskom.
'And in that regard the IPP office then initiated a process where we sought legal advice from an independent assessor and a determination was made that there was no conflict [of] interest and therefore the process can unfold as determined, and that's how that process then culminated in us issuing the preferred bidder status,' Ramokgopa explained.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

IOL News
17 hours ago
- IOL News
Matshela Koko won't challenge court ruling on R1. 56bn Eskom, ABB settlement
Former acting Eskom chief executive Matshela Koko will not challenge the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria judgment dismissing his application to intervene in the dispute between the power utility and ABB South Africa, which agreed to pay almost R1.56 billion in 2020. Image: Bheki Radebe / Independent Newspapers Former acting Eskom chief executive, Matshela Koko, will not challenge the ruling declining his bid to intervene in the R1.56 billion settlement agreement reached by the power utility and ABB South Africa. The Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, last month dismissed with costs Koko's application to intervene in the matter in terms of an earlier judgment delivered in April 2024. At the time, the high court ordered any interested party who has a direct and material interest in its orders on the R1.56bn settlement to apply within 30 days of the last date of publication of the order for leave to intervene and describe the nature of their interest in the relief and the relief sought. The court also ordered that interested parties must show cause, on a date and on such terms as it may determine after receipt of any application why the order should be altered, varied or rescinded. In compliance with the April 2024 order Koko complained that unflattering allegations were made against him in the papers filed in the review proceedings and that he was referred to by name and some paragraphs contain reference to his conduct. He said the settlement agreement for ABB to pay Eskom had negative consequences for him as his bank account was closed and he suffered reputational harm. In refusing Koko's intervention application, Acting Judge Irene de Vos found that he lacked a direct and substantial interest in the subject matter of the review proceedings. "Koko launched an application to rescind an order in circumstances where he largely accepts the order is correct; where he is not mentioned in either the order or the judgment; for purposes of protecting his reputation," the acting judge stated. The contract in question was for the provision of control and instrumentation system for the coal-fired Kusile Power Station project constructed under Eskom's nation building programme to increase its generating capacity. Eskom, ABB and the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) later applied to the court to set aside the contract as a result of corruption and bribery that occurred in the award. The SIU has publicly indicated that it intends to claim monies from Koko, who fears such action. He told the court that not having been cited in the review proceedings means he is limited in presenting a defence in potential future proceedings to be brought against him. In response to questions, Koko, who represented himself in the matter, said the judgment could be summarised as a mixed outcome, adding that he lost the battle to intervene in the review proceedings, but emerged with a significant procedural victory in the broader context. He further said he won the war by emerging from the case without adverse findings or direct legal accountability. Koko added that this procedural victory distances him from the ABB contract irregularities and undermines the narrative tying him to corruption, providing him with a solid defence in this specific legal chapter. [email protected] [email protected]

IOL News
19 hours ago
- IOL News
Eskom ordered to cough up R1 billion in costs after cancelled Koeberg project
Eskom loses court bid to fend off R1bn payment after cancelling a contract. Image: Supplied Eskom has been ordered to pay close to R1 billion to French nuclear contractor Framatome, after the Western Cape High Court found the utility refused to pay damages after it cancelled a contract to install steam generators at Koeberg nuclear power station. The ruling stems from a 2014 agreement Eskom originally concluded with Areva, which was later ceded to Framatome. The deal covered the design, manufacture and installation of six replacement steam generators – three for each unit at Koeberg. Framatome, which has been in operation for 60 years, was contracted to supply and install two sets of three replacement steam generators, one set to be installed in each of the reactor buildings at units 1 and 2 at Koeberg during separate planned outages of these units. These installations were meant to take place during a scheduled maintenance outage, which kept getting postponed. Two months after the outage was finally scheduled to happen, 'Eskom informed Framatome that it would not be continuing with the steam generator replacement,' the judgement said. As a result of the cancellation of the deal, Eskom's project manager 'acknowledged that Eskom's decision to postpone the work constituted a compensation event,' the judgment read. Although the project manager had acknowledged that Eskom's cancellation triggered compensation, he determined that the value of compensation was nil. The entire matter then went to arbitration, where the adjudicator ordered that Eskom must pay compensation for cancelling the contract, including for storing equipment, as well as implementation activities, which work had been wasted by Eskom delaying the date of the planned maintenance outage. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ After some back and forth between the parties and the adjudicator, during which the parties didn't agree on costs, 'Eskom made it clear that it had no intention of providing the adjudicator with any further information or participating any further in the adjudication process,' the ruling read. As a result, the adjudicator issued a determination of the damages amount, and Eskom decided to take the issue to the Western Cape High Court, arguing that the amount in damages was not determined by the date it was due – voiding his determination. In defending Eskom's legal action, Framatome argued that none of the arbitration proceedings were improper, nor was the adjudicator abusing his power. The Judge ruled that 'there is no basis to set aside the decisions of the adjudicator which are valid and binding. In terms of the parties' contract Eskom was obliged to comply therewith.' Eskom, it found, had to comply with its contractual obligations. The court found that Framatome was entitled to the full amount it sought. In addition to the R1bn payment, Eskom had to pay interest and costs. IOL

IOL News
a day ago
- IOL News
As a nation, we need to choose partners over politics
Two-faced Eskom punishes solar users Eskom is so much part of our lives. Homes and industries are heavily reliant on it for their power and lights, but in recent years it has become inefficient, corrupt and plundered by the greedy, often leaving the country without power. Many businesses and homes have been forced to seek alternative sources of power. Most popular of these is solar power. Although the sun's energy is clean and free, harnessing it to power our homes and industries comes at a hefty initial outlay. But as more and more homes and businesses ditch Eskom and switch to solar power, Eskom has been getting worried because fewer customers means less revenue. To offset this, it wants to punish customers who have went solar. They must be registered with Eskom and pay a fee either upfront and/or a monthly basis. How nasty can Eskom be, to punish consumers who have opted for an alternative source of energy when this problem is of its own doing? What is even more alarming is its 'gift' to Hillside Aluminium in Richards Bay. The giant aluminium company enjoys a roughly R10-billion-a-year discount, amounting to R92bn over the 10-year deal. How could the power utility grant an industrial company a discount when it is struggling to stay afloat? It doesn't make sense to punish the solar user but give a R92bn discount to Hillside! Eskom is two-faced, just like the government. | Thyagaraj Markandan Kloof The world is on a very slippery slope When good men do nothing, evil flourishes, is a fairly common quote most commonly attributed to Edmund Burke, an 18th-century Irish statesman and philosopher (although it's more likely a paraphrase of some of his writings). This is exactly what we see unfolding in the world. The recent genocidal activities by brutal Islamic Jihadi groups in Syria paint a grim picture of the sheer ignorance, hypocrisy and depravity of those who only seem to care about 'Palestinians' or what is going on in Gaza! Dissturbing clips, which are not AI generated, show demonic radical Islamists gleefully displaying decapitated heads. I understand this is very graphic to even imagine, but it is happening right now, and the world remains silent. Druze communities, along with some Christians, are subjected to the most heinous acts, but the world only condemns Israel for its efforts to deal with terrorism, while also fighting a major PR war, funded by the likes of George Soros and the UN. The more we see mobs around the world displaying the Palestinian flag, yelling death to Jews and America while our people stay silent in the face of what's happening in Syria, the more I come to the conclusion that we are in deep trouble as a global community. The lack of coverage for Christians being martyred and slaughtered like animals by what can only be described as barbaric, bloodthirsty Jihadist psychopaths is disturbing. Why is Naledi Pandor, the eloquent, yet self-righteous, former minister of foreign affairs not condemning this? Well, it's easy to understand why: She simply doesn't care about being brainwashed and used as useful idiots for Iran and its proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah!. Another very worrisome issue, is the issue of lack of consent when it comes to unelected organisations, such as the World Economic Forum and the World Health organisation, and vaccines or medical treatment. During the Covid-19 fiasco, we saw global leaders take the stage and demand that we all wear masks and be vaccinated, without allowing for any public debate, alternative medicinal ideas or without listening to extreme concerns from the public with regards to the impact of lock downs on mental health and the irreversible side effects of the vaccines they hurriedly produced. Again, why are we not speaking up about these scary issues? Are we too tired to care, or are we scared of being cancelled or publicly shamed by the pro-Palestine mobs or the vaxxers, who call us the anti-vaxxers, or conspiracy theorists? If we continue down this path of ignorance, sticking our heads in the sand like ostriches while the world falls apart, we won't have much to leave for our children and grand-children, It's all coming apart at the seams. Who will stand up and resist all this evil? | L Oosthuizen Durban ANC fails as it slides into political oblivion The unbelievable view expressed by Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa that electricity is becoming a luxury (IOL, July 22) should mark another milestone in the terminal descent of the ANC into political oblivion. Those milestones are in the ANC's much-revered Freedom Charter. But, one by one, the ANC has failed them. ■ 'There shall be work and security' Instead, joblessness has become the norm under the ANC. Rampant crime has made insecurity another norm as the police service has become impotent and corrupt. ■ 'There shall be houses and comfort; no one shall go hungry' Instead, homelessness, hunger, malnutrition and informal settlements are hallmarks of the ANC's tenure. Now with electricity at unaffordable prices – when it is available – cold comfort is the norm for millions.. ■ 'The people shall share in the country's wealth' Instead, unprecedented levels of impoverishment prevail, attested to by the dependence of 20 million on social grants. Instead, an elite enjoys obscene levels of affluence, while large tranches of our resources are now foreign owned. ■ 'All shall be equal before the law' Flouting the law does not apply to those in high office. Instead they are allowed to 'step aside' or be redeployed within the corrupt party which prioritises party loyalty above respect for the law and 'the will of the people". ■ 'The colour bar shall be abolished' Under B-BBEE and racial quotas the colour bar has been reinstated and reinforced in ways far more discriminatory than under apartheid .■ 'The government shall encourage national talent for the enhancement of life' Instead, education standards have plummeted and the best talents have emigrated. To cap it all, the ANC has totally reneged on and failed its own election slogan: 'A better life for all.' In a normal society there would be overwhelming public pressure for a government that has failed so profoundly to resign. But instead, the ANC seeks a diversion in the form of a 'national dialogue' in an attempt to keep itself in power. For how much longer and how much further will this fiasco be allowed to continue? | DR DUNCAN DU BOIS Bluff Choose partnership over politics It's rare to speak from the heart without backlash, but South Africa remains a troubled country. Crime, corruption, and unemployment prevails, while government leaders promote a R700-million National Dialogue, yet fail to act against the corrupt in their own ranks. Ordinary South Africans want renewal through peaceful evolution to a united, prosperous nation. But our political leadership chooses self-sabotage, jeopardising key relationships, such as our government's pursuit of an ICJ case against Israel, souring relations with a natural ally whose values and strengths mirror our own. Israel and South Africa are both beacons of democracy, rooted in Judeo-Christian values. South Africa's transition from apartheid and Israel's resilience offer beneficial lessons in reconciliation, innovation, and economic development. While Israel has emerged as a global leader in tech, water security, and food innovation, we remain stuck with dysfunctional government departments and poor service delivery. Israel reclaims 86% of wastewater, leads in desalination, and boasts low unemployment, even amid conflict. In contrast, South Africa's official unemployment rate sits at 32.9%. Why reject potential partnerships that could uplift our economy and society? Voters denied any party a majority in 2024, a clear sign they reject our country's current trajectory, yet the government pours more funds into the ICJ case, despite no genocide ruling. This isn't leadership. It's political ideology that undermines our future. We need pragmatic diplomacy that puts South Africans first. Israel is not our enemy. It can be our greatest ally. It's time to choose partnership over politics. | Daniel Jacobi Executive Director at the South African Friends of Israel Beat app fatigue and earn your space Every year, over 250 000 mobile apps are launched across Apple and Google's app stores. Yet average smartphone users interact with only nine apps per day. WhatsApp is almost always one of them, boasting over 2.8 billion users globally and a 93% penetration rate in South Africa. Despite this, companies continue to invest in standalone apps that most users simply avoid, or delete after a single use. This growing app fatigue demonstrates ineffective business strategies that are disconnected to the customer behavioural economy of today, and refuses to meet customers where its most convenient for them. Enter WhatsApp smartbots. These AI-powered chat interfaces are fundamentally reshaping how brands engage consumers by offering numerous services: Like buying tickets, applying for loans, or searching for properties, all within the familiar WhatsApp interface. No downloads, logins, or clunky interfaces. Beyond customer convenience, smartbots also enable real-time behavioural insight for South African businesses. Every click, pause, or query becomes golden data that local companies can leverage to improve services, build trust, and personalise the experience. For industries like financial services and real estate, this infrastructure results in faster processes and more insightful interactions with customers. Businesses need to stop contributing to app fatigue and start earning their space in our conversations. In a world oversaturated with apps, the path forward lies in simplicity, relevance, and meaningful engagement. | Jonathan Elcock Co-founder and CEO at DAILY NEWS