Eskom has been rocked by an alleged job-for-pals scandal involving an executive in its Human Resources (HR) department and an employee who works in the finance department.

This was after the HR executive Lebogang Letlape and Cathrine Mosotho, who works in finance, allegedly plotted the appointment of Mosotho’s boyfriend who was subsequently appointed as senior manager for operational technology and cyber security at Eskom Distribution.

It has been alleged that Letlape was also part of the interview panel.

The alleged boyfriend, Ezzard de Lange, apparently resigned last week after Eskom launched an investigation into the matter.

The matter was reported by a whistleblower to the utility in March 2023, following De Lange’s appointment.

According to the whistleblower, Mosotho visited Letlape’s home in Pretoria North to discuss the position on January 13, 2023.

The next day Letlape allegedly used the whistleblower's cellphone and sent pictures of questions to Mosotho’s younger sister’s phone.

In an affidavit, that was leaked to Independent Newspapers, the whistleblower said Letlape told him that she used his phone because she did not want her phone to be involved.

Mosotho did not respond to questions and efforts to reach De Lange were unsuccessful.

Eskom confirmed the allegations, adding that the case was reported via email and channelled through to its confidential whistleblowing hotline this month.

The utility said following standard protocol, a case number had been issued and the investigation was still in its initial stages.

“Since the allegations involve Eskom employees, the matter will be handled internally in line with our established procedures. Consequently, we will not share details of the investigation or its outcome, as it concerns internal affairs between Eskom and its employees,” said Eskom.

However, in response to the source on March 4, 2025, the utility’s assurance and forensic department said the allegations were assessed and it was established that it warrants a full forensic investigation.

The forensic team also said the preliminary investigation has been completed and the matter has been outsourced for further investigation.

The department said feedback, for confidentiality purposes, on the outcome of the investigation would only be given to the Group Executive of Eskom’s Distribution.

Meanwhile, the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Electricity and Energy, Nonkosi Queenie Mvana, said although she was not aware of the matter, she trusts that proper processes are in place to effectively handle such issues.

The whistleblower also provided the questions that were sent to Mosotho.

This is not the first time Eskom employees found themselves in the headlines. In a separate incident, an Eskom employee and a contracted security officer were arrested for diesel theft at Kriel Power Station in Mpumalanga on January 31, 2025.

This was after Eskom’s group security and investigation team apprehended the suspects after observing suspicious activity.

Last week, six individuals were arrested for their involvement in a fraudulent procurement scheme at Kusile Power Station. Among those apprehended are a former Kusile Procurement Officer and a Procurement Manager.

This was after the investigation revealed that in 2018, a pump was unlawfully procured for R857 977,00, despite an identical pump with the same serial number having been purchased in 2015 for only R18 835,00. This fraudulent transaction led to a direct financial loss for Eskom.

The operation began on Friday with the arrest of the former Kusile Procurement Officer by the SAPS. The following day four additional suspects, including the Kusile Procurement Manager, were taken into custody. Two suspects remain at large, with authorities actively pursuing them.

manyane.manyane@inl.co.za

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