De Ruyter Explains Why He Walked Away from Eskom

De Ruyter Explains Why He Walked Away from Eskom

Andre de Ruyter has finally laid bare what pushed him to resign as Eskom CEO. It wasn’t just load-shedding. It was a combination of criminality within the utility, broken political promises, and a loss of confidence that change was possible.

The Breaking Point: Criminality and No Political Protection

At the BizNews Investment Conference, De Ruyter said that over time he lost patience with how slowly the government acted to stop crime at Eskom. He claimed that corruption and sabotage were deeply entrenched. He also said he expected stronger political cover when he took the job but was often left “hung to dry.”

He described at least four criminal cartels operating in Mpumalanga inside Eskom. These groups he said are organized with “captains and soldiers,” interfering in coal supply, vandalism, and station sabotage.

Renewable Energy vs Coal Fleet Debates

Critics have argued that De Ruyter put too much emphasis on green energy and not enough on fixing Eskom’s coal plants. He owns some of that criticism. But he also believes there were vested interests who resisted the energy transition because they benefited from the old system.

“In Hindsight, I Should Have Thought Harder”

De Ruyter admitted that before accepting the CEO role he should have asked more questionsabout how much political support he would actually have, about the strength of the corruption networks, about whether he could lead effectively in that environment. He said he should have made sure commitments were in writing.

Explosive Allegations

Some of what he revealed has shocked folks:

• Alleged ministers and senior government figures linked to corrupt acts at Eskom.

• An estimate that R1 billion is stolen from Eskom every month.

• He says his push to deal with criminality made him a target. He claims there was an attempt to assassinate him in late 2022 (cyanide found in his system) after stepping up corruption investigations.

{Source: TheDailyInvestor}

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