Multiple residents have been conned out of large amounts of money and some have lost everything after allegedly falling victim to a tender scam.
It is alleged as many as 20 and even more residents and local business people have paid so called ‘administration fees’ that guaranteed them Eskom contracts which would make them millionaires.
Due to the sensitive nature and implications it would have on their businesses many asked to stay anonymous or would only speak through their lawyers. The record met with some of the victims on 19 November and their stories were all similar.
At the centre of the allegations is Rupert September, who claims to be the spokesperson for the ANC’s zone six, although this is now disputed, and Sifiso Kunene.
According to Julie Meyer and Vanessa White, who were both willing to go on record, most of the victims were reeled in the same way. The modus operandi that was used also echoes what other victims told the record.
Meyer, White as well as the anonymous victims all claim they were either approached by September or introduced to him through friends who were promised contracts. They allege that September would tell them the ANC wants to distribute wealth and wants to help individuals and businesses who would not be able to tender for contracts otherwise, to get contracts with Eskom to provide services such as recycling, catering and carpentry. For an initial admin fee of R10 000 that had to be paid to the ANC in order to get their documentation such as tax certificates and Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) compliance certificates in order, he would secure them contracts with Eskom. In order to make it legitimate he allegedly said Kunene, who he also employed in his own business Maestro Assist, was a high ranking employee of Eskom. Some of the victims would meet with Kunene and Meyer and her husband, Kenny says at one such meeting Kunene bragged he is the last person to sign off the tenders before it goes to the CEO of Eskom.
At one stage or another all the victims would also allegedly be approached by Kunene to pay more money for a surety documentation which they found strange since they were not borrowing money from either the ANC or Eskom.
Different starting times for the contracts were provided to them but when they enquired about delays September would allegedly always use the same excuses such as the appointment of a new CEO at Eskom, load shedding problems and even the coal incident at Medupi Power Station.
The victims also complain it became harder and harder to reach September and Kunene telephonically.
Meyer’s husband resigned from his job of 23 years believing the contracts were legitimate and the couple have now lost their house and has to live in a hotel in Maraisburg. White, who had a thriving catering business, says September convinced her to cancel all her contracts and “only focus on the Eskom” contract which she did. She also says she has now just about lost everything.
It also transpired that the contracts and ‘official’ documents were printed at a stationary store in Florida. On these contract appears the name of an Eskom procurement manager for ‘Group Commercial’. The record discovered these are old contracts that can be downloaded off the internet. On the original contracts the man’s title is procurement manager but only for the Kriel power station and not ‘Eskom Group’ as the tampered with contracts read. An employee at Kriel power station confirmed to the record that the man already resigned in January this year.
Kunene spoke to the record but denies any claims that he told any of the victims that he worked for Eskom. According to Kunene, September also scammed him with the same tender contract promises. He alleges that September is not a spokesperson for the ANC’s Zone six but only an ordinary member of its executive. The ANC could not be reached to confirm or deny Septembers standing in the local structures.
September is adamant that all the allegations against him is a smear campaign led by Edna Mathebe, niece of Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, DA councillor Dave Dewes and Kunene in order to hijack the putt-putt development at Florida Lake from him. September claims it is Mathebe and Kunene that pretended to have been employed by Eskom. He also alleges that Mathebe was fired from Eskom after she committed qualification fraud during a promotion process. September says he was merely helping the so-called victims of the scam to get their documentation in order to be competitive in the tendering process and it is actually the victims who expected him to pay bribes which he refused.
He also refutes Julia and Kenny Meyer’s allegations saying they have not lost their house but are renting it out. He also says Kenny left his job because he was ‘g*tvol and wanted to help his son’s business’. September says he is still very much the spokesperson for the ANC’s Zone 6 and ended the conversation by challenging his accusers to lay criminal charges against him.
Eskom has commented by saying “Please note that Mr Sifiso Kunene is not an Eskom employee and therefore we dissociate ourselves from these illegal activities. We urge people affected by this scam to report the matter to police on 08600 10 111 or SMS the police crime line on 32211.
All of Eskom’s available tenders can be accessed online and individuals do not have to pay any amount. In addition, the CEO is not involved in the tender processes at all. For details on how to register on Eskom’s database and which tenders are available click on this link: https://www.eskom.co.za/Tenders/TenderProcess/Pages/Tender_Process.aspx“.
Some of the victims have now decided to lay charges against the alleged scammers.
Mathebe is fully aware of the allegations against her and said she will comment soon.
