The DA expresses sincere thanks to former Eskom chief André de Ruyter for his three-year service as CEO of Eskom.
During his tenure Mr De Ruyter increased levels of maintenance, dented debt and pushed for a shift towards renewable energy with a firm hand on the once-flagship utility. He bravely targeted coal theft syndicates and sabotage, resulting in an attempt on his life.
We commend his bravery, especially in the television interview this week in which he lifted the veil on the large-scale corruption at Eskom.
Mr De Ruyter is a true patriot and we wish him success for the future. It is telling that no one in government has seen fit to thank him for his efforts – evidence of he total conflation of state and party.
As he leaves, another acting CEO will fill his role without any institutional knowledge of the kind De Ruyter has nor any proper handover while the country is in Stage 7 of loadshedding. This was confirmed by the Eskom spokesperson who announced the cutting of 7 045 megawatts of power late on Tuesday to keep the grid from a total collapse.
As De Ruyter bravely pointed out, the ANC-aligned criminal mafia remains embedded within Eskom, under the protection of the ANC government and consequently the country’s power system has come perilously close to a total grid collapse.
Unless urgent action is taken bring the criminals at Eskom to justice and stabilise power generation – the intent of our PAIA application – South Africa is headed to a dark and cold winter.