De Ruyter acted as a whistle blower - expert
This after former Eskom Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Andre de Ruyter said in a TV interview that he suspects corruption at Eskom reaches all the way up to ministerial level.
Andre de Ruyter, who took over as CEO in 2020, resigned in December and was due to vacate the office at the end of March to give Eskom time to find a successor.
However, the Eskom board held a special meeting on Wednesday, during which an agreement was reached with De Ruyter that he "will not be required to serve the balance of his notice period" and "will be released from his position with immediate effect.”
Energy Expert and managing director at EE Publishers, Chris Yelland, says he suspects De Ruyter was under enormous political pressure following his public comments.
“We heard about de Ruyter’s departure following his interview on eNca in which I think he acted as a whistle blower to draw attention to issues he had raised repeatedly but which had not received any meaningful response from government, from the authorities and police.
“I think he felt it was his duty as a whistle blower to tell South Africa what is going on and as a result of course the political pressure is such that he had no option but to resign after that. You may have seen the article by Minister Gordhan basically telling him to shut up and the board met and he was asked to resign with immediate effect.”
Yelland adds that there are major political struggles within many state enterprises.
“I doubt that there will be any meaningful response to the issue that he raised by the police, by the authorities, by the political masters. I think that is the problem that people are not standing up to what is obvious to everybody. It is obvious now that there is a titanic struggle not only for Eskom and over Eskom but over many state resources and that we are facing very dangerous times.”
ALSO READ
