Michael Lomas extradition heralds another path towards justice for ex-Eskom boss Matshela Koko
The extradition and arrest of Michael Lomas is a new eye-piercing layer in the seven-year-long attempt to prove Matshela Koko’s culpability in the Eskom saga.
In a long-anticipated turn of events yielding the extradition and arrest of former contractor Lomas, author Paul O’ Sullivan, in his book, provides evidence that could acquit former senior Eskom executive Koko from any wrong doing.
This is because it was Koko’s efforts that revealed to O’Sullivan who the architects of state capture were, and possibly these exclude Koko. In his book, Stop Me If You Can, O’ Sullivan reveals how Koko, for his reasons against Kgathatso Tlhakudi, triggered the investigation, arrest and the final stage for Lomas – his successful extradition to face the mighty arm of the law in South Africa.
Koko as a public educator on energy and Eskom and its mandate of a hundred years ago comes in every piece of information he delivers. On the strength of what he has been arguing over the past seven years, Koko would have on all counts entered a plea bargain that would have been successful as a state witness.
But that is not the material Koko is made of. Right from the onset he said he has neither a tailor nor the kind of body that would fit into orange overalls. Each revelation pulls him farther and farther away from the Koko that was presented as a koko – the ogre and a bastion of corruption.
For the past 72 months, Koko publicly enlightened us of the reign of terror that decimated electricity availability to the nation. His detractors said he possibly has moles informing him.
Koko was not deterred, but instead demonstrated deep and superior knowledge of the system, which was his home for more than three decades.
He did not need any informer. Up to the hour, Koko told it as it was and assured us that Eskom power generation was not pandering to politics of an election, but it was for real that they were on top of their game.
His statements having been consistent reassured those of us who could have been swayed into the narrative of a political cook book of election convenience. Koko was not a Madibuseng who is red today, green yesterday and orange tomorrow.
Koko has not been swayed by truths or lies of convenience in this long, winding and unending road of suspense. Instead, he has taken to the courts to demand prosecution of himself.
In this instance, Koko has been seen knocking at judicial doors, seeking to be taken through the process, including fighting against bending the rules for others.
For instance, the case brought before court, titled in the media “Ex-Eskom boss Koko targets the R5bn Investigating Directorate, ABB settlement deal” is a case in point, where Koko challenges the generally acknowledged blindness that lady justice has to pursue whatever the circumstances.
The layers of onion that the multi-layered Koko is made of has just been peeled with the arrest of Lomas, and O’ Sullivan’s attestations of Koko tipping him of Lomas’ dealings, which involved Absa Bank, as documentary evidence shows.
While it is often said that in the fullness of time only time will reveal and will have to tell, but what time will fail to resolve is the fact that justice delayed is justice denied.
All his public actions since he stepped into the “dark” public space, away from swimming in his work and the life he enjoyed in dark coal, reflects a Koko that is not a koko that struck the fear of God into De Ruyter.
It is too early to tell, but lady justice is making it too late to tell, as Koko, the then hunted for justice, has become the hunter for justice. Indeed, for Koko justice delayed has now become a koko that denies him justice.
Dr Pali Lehohla is a Professor of Practice at the University of Johannesburg, a Research Associate at Oxford University, a board member of Institute for Economic Justice at Wits and a distinguished Alumni of the University of Ghana. He is the former Statistician-General of South Africa.
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