Ask Gordhan for name of politician implicated in Eskom graft – De Ruyter tells Scopa

Former CEO of embattled Eskom, André de Ruyter, has refused to name the high-ranking minister who he alleged is involved in corruption at the utility, arguing that the question should be directed to Minister of Public Enterprises, Pravin Gordhan.

“The best way forward, I would suggest, is to ask minister Gordhan,” De Ruyter told Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) on Wednesday.

Watch: Andre de Ruyter appears before Scopa

De Ruyter, who appeared before Parliament via virtual link today to shed the light on corruption claims at the state-owned power utility, said he had divulged the identity of the minister concerned to both Gordhan and national security advisor, Sydney Mufamadi. 

“The main findings were shared with these two officials … I think that discharged my duty to report [further],” he said.

De Ruyter said he feared for his safety. He added that he had reported the matter to a senior official of the South African Police Services (Saps) and to the State Security Agency (SSA), giving “sufficient credence” that he extensively engaged law enforcement authorities to ensure appropriate steps would be taken.

Read: De Ruyter says R1bn-a-month theft estimate is ‘conservative’

“Disclosing the identity of the minister concerned … this is a question I would see falling within the ambit of potential security risks that could arise from such a disclosure … rather engage with the oversight minister, with Dr Mufamadi about further information in this regard,” he said.

De Ruyter firmly eschewed answering the question. He said the continual inquiry would lead to a process of elimination that would eventually end in disclosure, which he said he was “at pains to avoid”.

This comes after De Ruyter criticised government officials’ commitment to fixing South Africa’s power crisis, during an interview with eNCA in February, when he alleged that corruption at the stricken utility is deeply entrenched. 

He alleged that Eskom was losing roughly R1 billion a month to corruption at the time and that he had warned a senior politician about attempts to loosen governance around $8.5 billion in COP26 funds.

Read:
De Ruyter affidavit points the load shedding finger at government, Nersa
Eskom chair says outgoing CEO De Ruyter behaved ‘reprehensibly’

The minister allegedly responded that “some people” have to be allowed to “eat a little bit”.

Responding to the Scopa meeting proceedings, Eskom said nothing had new surfaced during De Ruyter’s appearance that is not already being dealt with by law enforcement agencies.

“Eskom remains steadfast on a path to restore the ethical fibre of the company,” the utility said on Wednesday.