A recent arrest by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) substantiated former Eskom CEO André de Ruyter’s claim that criminals used car dealerships to hide luxury vehicles from lifestyle audits.
In his book, Truth to Power: My Three Years Inside Eskom, De Ruyter wrote that he observed ostentatious displays of wealth from even relatively junior staff members at the state-owned power utility.
“Watching the main exit gate of Megawatt Park from my third-floor window, I was astounded to see a number of Range Rovers, BMWs, Mercs and even a stray Porsche heading for the exit at 15:30,” he said.
Besides having questions about why so many well-paid individuals were leaving work just a few hours after lunch, De Ruyter noted that the flaunting of wealth wasn’t limited to fancy cars.
He saw Louis Vuitton handbags, equivalent to a month’s salary, Hermes dresses, Panerai watches, and Christian Louboutin shoes.
“I am not saying everyone driving expensive cars or wearing designer clothing obtained their wealth through illicit means, but it made me wonder where on earth the money came from,” said De Ruyter.
“Considering the opulence displayed by employees of a state-owned enterprise, it was certainly suspicious. It didn’t take Sherlock Holmes to figure out what was afoot.”
De Ruyter later described a Mpumalanga car dealership that housed luxury vehicles for corrupt individuals.
“The banal decadence was shocking,” De Ruyter wrote. He explained that the arrangement helped people who siphoned money from Eskom hide their assets and avoid being flagged in lifestyle audits.
“A certain car dealership in the coal belt specialised in housing fancy vehicles on behalf of their owners so that they didn’t show up in lifestyle audits,” he wrote.
“The vehicles, always held in the name of the dealership, would be available on demand, should the actual owner wish to take his Lamborghini for a spin on the potholed roads of Mpumalanga.”