Koko shocked that emails belonged to Gupta associate Salim Essa

Former Eskom CEO Matshela Koko on Tuesday told the State Capture Commission that he was shocked that the email messages he had been sending to an anonymous businessman belonged to Gupta associate Salim Essa.

The Commission provided detailed evidence showing Koko several emails he had sent to an address which belonged to Essa.

Last month, Koko denied allegations that he had met with the Guptas and their associates.

He told the Commission’s Chairperson Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo that he thought the email address belonged to former Eskom Chair Ben Ngubane as advised by the power utility’s former company secretary Suzanne Daniels.

“Ms Daniels gave me the email address and said you need to deal and keep the chairman involved and you need to keep three-way meetings as often as possible so that they are not blindsided, and properly informed. The problem with you is that you tend to make up your mind and move on your own and isolate the Board and the Chairperson and this email in her view – the chairman uses this e-mail and that will clear a lot of the problems in terms of communications.”

In the video below, Koko testifies at the Commission:

Denial of daughter getting contracts

Last month, Koko denied allegations he gave his daughter a billion rands worth of Eskom contracts.

He also alleged that former Deputy Minister of Public Enterprise, Ben Martins, suspended him telephonically without following proper procedure.

“One of the things that I expected is that people who said that come and give evidence to you or they go to the Hawks or to the police … For four years, I have been accused of giving my daughter a billion rands and for four years, I have not been talked to by the police or the law enforcement agencies, or the Commission. You know why? Because I never did it.”

In the video below, Koko told the Commission that Eskom had one of its best performances since 2001 under his and former CEO Brian Molefe’s leadership: