President Donald Trump and top Republicans are doubling down on unsubstantiated fraud claims in California’s primary elections this month, a dispute that election experts say points to a bigger threat heading into the 2026 midterms than the country faced in 2020.
Trump called the California primary “rigged” on NBC’s Meet the Press on June 7, pointing to the pace of the count and Republican candidates losing ground as mail ballots were tallied. Pressed by host Kristen Welker for evidence, he replied: “All I have to do is look.”
Speaking at a roundtable in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, last Friday, Trump claimed, without evidence, that Democrats were rigging the election: “It’s a crooked state,” he said.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles said last Friday that it had opened “multiple election fraud investigations” related to California’s elections and sent a…
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