Durban – The African Transformation Movement has written to the Speaker of the National Assembly Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula asking her to summon former Eskom CEO, Andre de Ruyter to brief parliament and answer questions following his explosive revelations about the power utility earlier this week.
In the letter the ATM requested that the joint committees summon De Ruyter to brief both houses and answer questions following his whistle-blowing on corruption at Eskom, including the complicity of senior ministers and other top politicians.
De Ruyter had been scheduled to remain chief executive of the embattled power utility, which has struggled to keep the lights on for South Africans amid rolling blackouts which currently see the country on Stage 6, until the end of March but was released from his duties by the Eskom board on Wednesday.
In an explosive television interview on Wednesday De Ruyter delivered a blow by blow account of alleged corruption at Eskom, including accusations levelled at cabinet ministers for interfering in the power utility’s operations.
He also said that there was a criminal syndicate in Mpumalanga that was improperly benefiting money in the region of R1 billion monthly from Eskom.
De Ruyter said that this criminal network had extended its tentacles to many Eskom workers who sabotaged and vandalised power stations on their behalf.
He also shockingly revealed that there was one particular high-level politician that was involved in this.
"Evidence suggests that Eskom is the ANC's feeding trough. I expressed my concerns to a senior government minister about attempts, in my view, to water down governance around the $8.5 billion that, by and large, through Eskom’s intervention at COP26.
“And the response was essentially, you know, you have to be pragmatic, you have to. In order to pursue the greater good, you have to enable some people to eat a little bit. So yes, I think it is infringed," De Ruyter said.
Now the ATM wants De Ruyter to be hauled before parliament with the party saying that the manner in which De Ruyter left office should be treated with caution.
“The sudden and immediate release from his CEO position by the Eskom board ahead of his 31 March 2023 last day following his explosive television interview at e.tv and eNCA earlier this week must be treated with caution. It is not in good faith.
“The ATM views this suspicious move by the Eskom board as part of a cover up to prevent Mr De Ruyter from revealing more rot and implicating more cabinet ministers and top politicians,” the ATM said in the letter to Mapisa-Nqakula.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE