Former senior Eskom official and corruption-accused France Hlakudi seemingly had a passion for chicken farming, allegedly soliciting millions from Eskom contractors - including JSE-listed Stefanutti Stocks - and using Eskom slush fund Babinatlou Business Services to build his farming business from the ground up.
Hlakudi, a former senior contracts manager in Eskom's group capital, is a director of four Coxinel companies which mainly deal with chicken and cattle farming. Babinatlou paid Coxinel Chickens over R2.5 million, legal firm Bowmans found in an investigation for Eskom.
However, bank statements in News24's possession indicate there could be much more. Hlakudi and Hudson Kgomoeswana, director of Babinatlou, were allegedly able to solicit millions for their personal benefit from Stefanutti under the pretence of building classrooms for schools.