In 2016, when Eskom agreed to prepay the Guptas R587-million for coal that hadn’t been delivered it caused a national scandal. Remember that clip where Devi Sankaree Govender confronted Matshela Koko on Carte Blanche?  His response – “let’s say I made a mistake” – and the fallout that followed, was enough for Financial Mail to declare: “This scandal should be the end for Koko”. It wasn’t. But nor was it the end of Eskom’s habit of recklessly prepaying for things like coal and diesel under the guise of fighting loadshedding. Ten years later, the numbers are much bigger: at least R2.97-billion prepaid to suppliers for diesel to burn in Eskom’s Open Cycle Gas Turbines. Eskom has promised to release the results of its year-long investigation by the end of August. It’s likely to be embarrassing for an organisation that considers itself cleansed of the mistakes of the State Capture era. We hope they have something better to say than “let’s say I made a mistake”. Read our latest investigation: amabhungane.org/eskom-paid-h… And sign up for our newsletter to get the scoop on every investigation: amabhungane.org/#newsletter