JOHANNESBURG - Now that the biggest power utility in southern Africa is leaderless, political parties, analysts and civil society organisations believe that the hasty exit of Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter is the start of a difficult transition for the embattled company.
De Ruyter, who has overseen South Africa’s longest period of load shedding in almost 15 years since the power crisis began, has left the troubled parastatal with immediate effect.
This follows an explosive interview with eTV’s Annika Larsen, where he laid the blame on the ANC’s door for bringing the utility to its knees.
Du Ruyter was expected to serve his notice until the end of March after announcing his resignation last year.
His departure from Eskom has sparked mixed reactions, with many fearing the leadership vacuum may lead to escalating levels of government interference, uncertainty and protracted power cuts to the misery of South Africans.
In the no-holds-barred interview, De Ruyter detailed the alleged rot and the depth of corruption at Eskom.
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Analyst Dale McKinley said De Ruyter’s immediate departure is no surprise and speaks only to the widespread speculation surrounding Eskom.
“There is deep-seated corruption within Eskom, he hadn’t fingered particularly the ANC which he did recently, and I think that’s what broke the camel’s back, so to speak, Eskom is a poster child of everything that is wrong with state-owned enterprises.”
Energy expert Chris Yelled said that with the utility marred by corruption, neglect and incompetence De Ruyter stood almost no chance of rescuing Eskom.
“Mr De Ruyter did everything that a reasonable person could possibly do in the circumstances that confronted him but underestimated the hurdles that he would face within Eskom itself, as well as from various nefarious forces among contractors and suppliers and criminals out there.”
Meanwhile, the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse’s Wayne Duvenage said the political vultures are now circling the entity.
“They are going to find it very difficult to find somebody who has got the strength and the courage to do what has to be done and to fix Eskom and I am afraid that they are not going to put somebody there who is going to challenge them, they are going to put someone who is going to bow down to their needs,” he said adding that “Eskom will forever be trapped in corruption, sabotage and maladministration because of the political interference”.
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February 23, 2023 at 11:16PM
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De Ruyter's swift exit from Eskom paves way for difficult transition: analysts - EWN
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