Mark Kleinschmidt, Ward 60 councillor
Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan slating former Eskom CEO André de Ruyter is totally unfair. He furthermore denied that De Ruyter had urged him to initiate a private intelligence-gathering operation. He alleged that it had been De Ruyter's own initiative and he had advised him thereof some months later.
The publishing of De Ruyter's book, Truth to Power: My three years inside Eskom, is by no means premature. With De Ruyter's life threatened, it provides a documented account of the shenanigans at Eskom for the three-year period he was the CEO.
De Ruyter states that when he took over the position in January 2020, it was said to be the toughest job in South Africa. The ageing energy provider was already ailing and financially cash trapped. He discovered widespread corruption and neglected and sabotaged equipment.
De Ruyter's revelations are a bombshell and a wake-up call to South Africans who have to endure the pandemic of load shedding with the increasing cost of electricity.