POLL | What do you think of De Ruyter’s immediate departure from Eskom?

The immediate departure of Eskom CEO André de Ruyter has been met with mixed reaction, with some saying he'd been forced out for speaking the truth while others are glad to see the back of him.

Eskom announced De Ruyter's departure after a “special board meeting” on Wednesday evening.

De Ruyter tendered his resignation in December 2022 and was serving out his notice period to the end of March. However, he and the board came to a “mutual agreement” to cut that short.

“The board resolved that Mr de Ruyter will not be required to serve the balance of his notice period but that he will be released from his position with immediate effect,” Eskom said.

The announcement shocked many, with some saying it would leave the power utility worse off and others that Eskom could finally move on.

A few said the decision was made because of “political egos”.

De Ruyter's departure came just hours after eNCA aired an interview in which De Ruyter made explosive allegations about the inner workings of Eskom and his experience as CEO.

The interview drew strong reaction, with public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan slamming De Ruyter for “meddling” in politics instead of focusing on fixing the country's power crisis.

Politicians, analysts and social media users reacted to De Ruyter's exit, saying it stemmed from his comments during the controversial interview.

EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu said “good riddance” while ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba said politicians had “failed” De Ruyter.

“Exposing the ANC’s corruption and mismanagement at Eskom is clearly a career-ending move. No wonder we are on the verge of stage 8 load-shedding. At least De Ruyter tried. It’s the politicians that failed him, and SA,” said Mashaba.