Eskom CEO André de Ruyter resigns

André de Ruyter has resigned as Eskom’s chief executive.

“It has been an honour and privilege to serve Eskom and South Africa. I wish all the hard
working people of Eskom well,” said De Ruyter.

De Ruyter quits

Eskom board chairperson Mpho Makwana said De Ruyter’s last day at the power utility will be 31 March 2023.

“De Ruyter has agreed to stay for an additional period beyond the stipulated 30-days’ notice to ensure continuity while we urgently embark on a search for his successor,” said Makwana.

The Eskom Board said a comprehensive search will be conducted to “find a suitably qualified candidate” to replace De Ruyter. It said Makwana will not become the interim CEO during that time.

“On behalf of the Eskom Board, executive and the entire Eskom staff, I thank De Ruyter for
his extraordinary service to the people of South Africa. I also thank De Ruyter’s family for
supporting the Group Chief Executive during the tumultuous period,” concluded Makwana.

Gordhan thanks De Ruyter

Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan thanked De Ruyter for his “sacrifice and resilience” during his tenure at Eskom.

“André has carried an enormous burden on behalf of South Africa,” he said.

#Eskom #MediaStatement

Resignation of Eskom Group Chief Executive pic.twitter.com/vDmm106OAy

— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) December 14, 2022

Calls for the CEO to be dismissed

The resignation comes after repeated calls for Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan to fire De Ruyter.

De Ruyter has been under increased pressure after load shedding was ramped up in recent weeks.

During an ANC NEC meeting last week, Gordhan attributed Eskom’s crisis to poor maintenance and sabotage at power stations.

But some members were not convinced and urged him to replace De Ruyter.

Watch: South Africans frustrated as load shedding persists

Mantashe accuses Eskom of trying to overthrow the state

Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe also accused Eskom of trying to overthrow the state.

Mantashe said Eskom’s failure to arrest the decline of the generation fleet could be interpreted as an attempt at overthrowing government.

“Eskom must attend to this problem. By not attending to load shedding Eskom is agitating to overthrow the state,” he said.

ALSO READ: Eskom agitates for ‘overthrow of the state’ by not dealing with load shedding – Mantashe

Load shedding

On Sunday, Eskom implemented stage 5 load shedding until further notice.

The power utility said several units at three power stations had broken down.

It also laid some of the blame on the public, saying “unusually high demand” was also behind the escalation of load shedding.

In November, Eskom warned that load shedding will be in place for the foreseeable future and that the stages will be more erratic.

At the time, Eskom said it was facing two major challenges: an increase in unplanned breakdowns and a lack of money to spend on diesel.

NOW READ: Eskom implements stage 5 load shedding until further notice