Gordhan takes swipe at de Ruyter, says ‘CEOs shouldn’t be involved in political debates’
Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan says CEOs of state-owned enterprises should not engage in political debates following former Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter’s shock claims.
Gordhan made the remarks during a session of Parliament’s portfolio committee on Public Enterprises on Wednesday.
De Ruyter left Eskom “with immediate effect” on Wednesday - a day after he made shocking allegations against a high-level politician and the ANC in a TV interview with broadcaster, eNCA.
Gordhan told MPs that CEOs of SOEs “should not be involved in open political debates or assertions and where they have political views”.
Gordhan believes that the views should be expressed “privately” and that CEOs should rather focus on the job at hand.
He instructed the Eskom board to launch investigations into the claims by de Ruyter – adding that the controversy caused by the interview was “unnecessary”.
“Cooperate governance requires that the Eskom board must have a look at these clips and must deliberate on the particular matter and report back to the shareholder and to parliament as well on the outcome of their deliberations.”
Gordhan also asked de Ruyter to approach the country’s law enforcement agencies, but he should “differentiate between suspicion or rumour, and actual evidence”.
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