For most of 2025, AI-generated scams were still a minority of what hit inboxes and phones — a growing threat, but not yet the dominant one. Then December arrived. According to Hoxhunt’s 2026 Phishing Trends Report, AI-assisted attacks surged from 4% of all reported phishing in November 2025 to 56% in December, a 14-fold jump in a single month driven by criminal actors using generative AI to mass-produce convincing lures at zero skill cost. That share had stabilized at around 40% through early 2026 and, as of this Independence Day weekend, has held there — meaning four in ten phishing attempts a reader encounters today are AI-generated. The Federal Trade Commission confirmed the human cost: imposter scams — the category that includes smishing, voice cloning, and QR-code fraud — were the most reported type of fraud in 2025 for the ninth consecutive year, with losses climbing nearly 20%…
THE TUTUKA POWER STATION PROCUREMENT FRAUD (ESKOM)
Date: August 29, 2025 Perpetrator: Jessie Phindile Kubheka (Supplier Director)
Case Description: As part of the ongoing “cleaning up” of Eskom, Jessie Phindile Kubheka was sentenced to 12 years (with 5 years suspended) for defrauding the Tutuka Power Station. The case involved a sophisticated procurement syndicate that exploited Eskom’s emergency repair protocols. Kubheka’s company was contracted to deliver three high-specification containers for the power station. Only one container was ever delivered, and even that single unit failed to meet the required safety and technical specifications.
Despite the lack of delivery, Kubheka issued grossly inflated invoices, defrauding the utility of approximately R2.6 million. The Middelburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court ordered Kubheka to repay the full amount. This case is significant because it marks a shift in Eskom’s strategy toward “naming and shaming” suppliers and pursuing full asset recovery. It serves as a stark warning to contractors that the 2026 climate of “Zero Tolerance” for state-owned enterprise (SOE) fraud is backed by active judicial enforcement.
Link to Original: Eskom Official – Tutuka Fraud Sentencing