André de Ruyter under investigation for ‘irregularity’ at Eskom

As the country continues to suffer relentless load shedding, there are reports that Eskom CEO André de Ruyter was being investigated by the ailing parastatal’s new board for alleged procurement irregularities.

This is according to the Sunday Times, which said the investigation involved the appointment process that ultimately led to Stephen Meijers being named the Chief Operating Officer of Eskom Rotek Industries — a subsidiary of Eskom.

The headhunting firm, Woodburn Mann, was allegedly not contracted by Eskom, yet De Ruyter began discussions with them about Meijers’ appointment in January 2020, his first month as CEO of the ailing power utility.

Resignation

Eskom was left in state of disarray last week, following the resignation of De Ruyter.

His resignation came a week after Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe publicly accused Eskom’s management of “agitating for the overthrow of the state”.

De Ruyter pointed to “recent media reports” as among the reasons for him not to be able to continue his tenure.

Irregularities

According to the Sunday Times, while there was no evidence to suggest De Ruyter benefited from the alleged breach of regulations, he is the second executive at Megawatt Park to resign since the start of an investigation by the new board’s audit and risk subcommittee, chaired by chartered accountant Fathima Gany.

Insiders also told the paper the new board had been investigating De Ruyter since its appointment, and claimed that these board members had been tasked with finding “any” dirt on him.

ALSO READ: Growing threat at Eskom risks energy infrastructure – Presidency

Eskom under threat

Meanwhile, the Presidency told The Citizen there is a growing threat at Eskom’s power stations with serious concerns and risks to South Africa’s energy infrastructure.

On Saturday, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) was deployed to several Eskom power stations in response to the growing threat which the Presidency said included acts of sabotage, theft, vandalism and corruption.

ALSO READ: André de Ruyter: Set up to fail from the start