Eskom snitches kept in the dark

Johannesburg - Nearly a month after power utility Eskom suspended four employees for their alleged participation in an investigative television programme on the parastatal, Eskom has not charged them with any wrongdoing.

However, the four workers are still being paid.

The employees, all US citizens and recruited from that country allegedly to fill up Eskom's black economic empowerment (BEE) vacancies, occupy strategic positions in Eskom.

"We have yet to receive any charges," said one who spoke to Fin24.com on Wednesday. "We only received letters on February 8 informing us we're being suspended pending disciplinary hearings."

The letters, seen by Fin24.com, said the employees must furnish Eskom with reasons why they should not be suspended within two days (from the date of the letter). If they did not comply, disciplinary proceedings would commence "for [their] participation" in the Carte Blanche television programme aired on January 24.

In the programme, people with blurred faces described how they were misled by Eskom when they were recruited to work in South Africa and told about lucrative positions "because there were no skills" in the country. They said most of the promised rewards and benefits did not materialise once they arrived in 2008.

Some alleged they were being fraudulently used to improve Eskom's BEE profile, which may only include South Africans.

Fin24.com is also aware that instead of making any formal accusations to the four, Eskom invited them to its offices on Wednesday to do voice-testing to see if their voices matched those heard on the television programme.

"The preliminary suspension is with pay and the disciplinary hearings will take place in due course," Eskom responded to Fin24.com's questions on the issue. "Please also note that this is an internal matter and that no further discussions with the media will be entered into."

- Fin24.com