No one in government has seen fit to thank De Ruyter for his efforts: DA

The DA has lambasted the ruling party for not thanking embattled former Eskom CEO André de Ruyter for three years' service.

This follows the announcement of his early departure from office after mutual agreement with the Eskom board.

DA MP Ghaleb Cachalia said it was telling that no one in government has seen fit to thank De Ruyter for his efforts, calling it evidence of the "total conflation of state and party".

"During his tenure, Mr De Ruyter increased levels of maintenance, dented debt and pushed for a shift towards renewable energy with a firm hand on the once-flagship utility."

The party added that the former CEO "bravely targeted coal-theft syndicates and sabotage, resulting in an attempt on his life".

"We commend his bravery, especially in the [eNCA] television interview this week in which he lifted the veil on large-scale corruption at Eskom," said Cachalia.

De Ruyter tendered his resignation in December 2022 and was scheduled to serve notice until the end of March. 

His exit comes after he was slammed by public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan for "meddling" in politics instead of focusing on ending load-shedding. This followed the controversial interview with journalist Annika Larsen, in which De Ruyter made explosive allegations about the inner workings of the power utility and his experience as its captain.

Despite the chaos around his exit, the DA described De Ruyter as a true patriot and wished him future success.

The party further forecast that De Ruyter's role will be filled by an acting CEO with no institutional knowledge or a proper handover, while the country is plunged into "stage 7" load-shedding.

"This was confirmed by the Eskom spokesperson, who announced the cutting of 7,045MW of power late on Tuesday to keep the grid from total collapse.

"As De Ruyter bravely pointed out, the ANC-aligned criminal mafia remains embedded within Eskom, under the protection of the ANC government, and consequently the country’s power system has come perilously close to total collapse," said Cachalia.

He warned that unless urgent action is taken to bring the criminals at Eskom to book and stabilise power generation — "the intent of our Paia (Promotion of Access to Information Act) application — South Africa is headed for a dark, cold winter.

The DA submitted the application to obtain all information and evidence at Eskom's disposal regarding the "alleged ANC kingpin behind the systemic corruption that has brought the country’s electricity supply to its knees".

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