Cape Town - Eskom CEO André de Ruyter has finally thrown in the towel after three years at the helm with no end in sight to the constant load shedding.
This has been the worst year of load shedding the country has ever experienced, with it expected to worsen over the coming months.
De Ruyter had faced severe criticism and growing calls for his resignation for Eskom’s increasing performance failures and for the derelict state of the country’s electricity infrastructure, which was showing its face more frequently with an alarming amount of breakdowns.
Eskom board chairperson Mpho Makwana said: “De Ruyter has agreed to stay for an additional period beyond the stipulated 30-days’ notice to ensure continuity while we urgently embark on a search for his successor. His last day at Eskom will be March 31, 2023.”
Amid speculation as to who would take up the position, the Eskom Board confirmed there was no plan for chairperson Makwana to become an interim CEO, and that a comprehensive executive search would be conducted to find a suitably qualified candidate.
In his resignation statement, De Ruyter stated: “It has been an honour and privilege to serve Eskom and South Africa. I wish all the hard-working people of Eskom well.”
Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan said De Ruyter carried an enormous burden on behalf of South Africa and thanked him for his sacrifice and resilience in a difficult job.
Gordhan assured that all Eskom programmes would continue as business continuity was of primary importance for the country.
Earlier this year, Eskom chief operating officer Jan Oberholzer also announced his resignation and that he would be leaving the power utility in April 2023.
DA spokesperson on public enterprises Ghaleb Cachalia said: “De Ruyter’s sudden resignation is a reflection on Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe’s relentless campaign against a man who despite having one hand tied behind his back as he battled to get the utility on track – fighting corruption, debilitating policies and political interference – conducted a dutiful and responsible effort at the discharging of his duties.”
Mantashe previously said that Eskom was “actively agitating for the overthrow of the state”.
Cachalia said it was time for a ring-fenced state of disaster to be declared around Eskom, governed independently by a panel of experts.
The key opinion among energy experts was that De Ruyter did not have the support he needed to deal with the most pressing challenge facing the country, and was ultimately sacrificed by the president, Mantashe and Gordhan during times of great political instability.
Energy expert Chris Yelland said: “Without a single word of support from the president, the finance minister, the public enterprises minister and the Eskom board chairperson after the attack by Minister Mantashe accusing De Ruyter of treason, I would expect nothing different except that De Ruyter should resign in disgust.”
Energy analyst Hilton Trollip added: “This points to a bigger problem, Eskom had 10 CEOs since 2014, and the government appoints the boards who then appoint the CEOs, but Cabinet, the Eskom board and management all have to work together as a team.
“You cannot have one minister saying strong things, another saying other things and then the president contradicting both those ministers. This is what happened between Mantashe, Gordhan and Ramaphosa.
“Clearly, Cabinet is not operating as a team and therefore De Ruyter does not know where government policy is coming from or what is going to happen from one day to the next.”
Trollip said this crisis stopped at Ramaphosa’s door and the country was lurching from one level of instability to another, as it had been for many years now.
Premier Alan Winde urgently called on Ramaphosa to outline how he would prioritise and ensure a fit-for-purpose Eskom leader to deliver the energy plan as promised and needed by the province and country
Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said this was a massive blow for ending load shedding and cleaning up endemic corruption at Eskom.
“It is not good news for South Africa. De Ruyter was slowly but surely and with great determination changing Eskom for the better, and figuring out the systemic crises one by one.
“I will not say that there’s no one else who can do this – no one is irreplaceable – but it will be very difficult to find a CEO who can keep on this journey,” Hill-Lewis said.
While the National Freedom Party (NFP) acknowledged the lack of support received by De Ruyter, especially from senior individuals in government, the party was shocked that De Ruyter took the criticism levelled at him, personally.
NFP leader in Parliament Ahmed Emam said, “Our political climate is such that everyone will get criticised eventually. That is the nature of a robust democracy. But we serve for the betterment of South Africa, not to be praised by politicians.”
kristin.engel@inl.co.za