Limpopo Businessman Accused Of Fraud Case Seeks Plea Deal In Eskom

Limpopo businessman, who was accused of defrauding Eskom of R18 million, is negotiating a plea deal instead of standing trial.

Maphoko Hudson Kgomoeswana appeared in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Monday, where the court postponed his case to 5 May 2025 for further plea discussions.

Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) rejected Kgomoeswana’s initial plea proposal, stating it was ready to proceed with trial. However, the court ruled that he should have another opportunity to reach an agreement with the state.

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Kgomoeswana faces fraud and tax evasion charges linked to his company, Babinatlou Business Services CC, between 2016 and 2018. Authorities discovered the alleged crimes while investigating corruption at Eskom’s Kusile Power Station.

According to the allege report, Kgomoeswana is also a co-accused in a R745 million fraud and money laundering case alongside former Eskom executives France Hlakudi and Abram Masango, as well as businessmen Antonio Jose da Costa Trindade and Michael Lomas.

Investigators allege that Babinatlou Business Services helped funnel kickbacks from Tubular Construction Projects to senior Eskom officials.

In September 2024, British authorities extradited Lomas to South Africa after his arrest in April 2021. He later secured bail of £100,000 (R1.7 million at the time).

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Moreso, the state argues that Eskom fraudulently paid R745 million to Tubular Construction Projects, after Masango and Hlakudi unlawfully secured the contract to build air-cooled condensers at Kusile. The deal inflated project costs to R1.4 billion.

However, Kgomoeswana remains out on a warning, whereas the court has ordered him to appear when proceedings resume in May 2025.

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