Matshela Koko, the controversial ex-Eskom CEO, has apologised to Ms Nombasa Mawela for corruption allegations he made against her in 2017.
Mawela is the daughter of Minister of Energy and African National Congress (ANC) national chairperson Gwede Mantashe.
Koko made the public apology in a Twitter thread he posted on Sunday.
He wrote, “I apologise to Ms Mawela for any harm to her reputation suffered as a result of these allegations.”
‘Corrupt payments’
Koko said during his disciplinary hearing at Eskom in 2017, he stated that Mawela had been on a 24-month retainer at Hlakudi Translations.
He alleged at the time that the payments she received were the proceeds of corruption at Eskom’s Kusile power plant.
However, Koko now says Mawela’s retainer had nothing to do with Eskom or corruption.
“At the time I believed that Ms Mawela had received the money as a bribe. I now accept that this belief was incorrect and that the money Ms Mawela received was in respect of bona fide business transactions, not involving corruption or Eskom,” he stated.
The apology follows Mawela’s R500,000 lawsuit against Koko filed in 2018.
Matshela Koko and Eskom
Koko was Eskom’s head of generation before his appointment as acting CEO in November 2016 following Brian Molefe’s controversial resignation.
However, he faced a raft of disciplinary charges in 2017, including allegedly awarding contracts to a company partly owned by his stepdaughter.
He has also been implicated in a number of state capture allegations, such as sharing confidential Eskom documents with Salim Essa, an alleged associate of the Gupta brothers.
Koko has denied all allegations against him and has stated he’s prepared to appear before the state capture commission of inquiry.
He resigned from Eskom in February 2018 and has since signed an electricity supply contract in Zimbabwe.