Africa-Press – South-Africa. The Competition Tribunal has dismissed a bid by Econ Oil & Energy to get off Eskom’s blacklist.
The oil supplier has been banned from supplying fuel to the Eskom for 10 years following allegations of corruption and unethical conduct.
Econ Oil, which supplied fuel to Eskom for 15 years between 2003 and 2018, has denied wrongdoing.
Earlier this year, the oil group and its managing director Nothemba Mlonzi took the power utility to the Competition Tribunal, arguing Eskom had unfairly discriminated against it.
It asked the tribunal to reinstate it on the utility’s supplier database, pending the finalisation of a separate investigation by the Competition Commission.
The tribunal has now dismissed Econ Oil’s bid.
“It is the tribunal’s view that the applicants have not demonstrated any anti-competitive effects from Eskom’s exclusion of Econ Oil as a supplier to Eskom,” the tribunal said in a statement on Friday.
“In addition, the tribunal cannot find that Eskom was not justified in de-registering Econ Oil as a supplier for its alleged involvement in improper and unethical business practices.”
The tribunal found that the oil group’s claims of discrimination by Eskom on the grounds of race and gender were “speculative”. It did not make a costs order.
The tribunal said a full version of its finding would be made public once all confidential information had been removed.
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