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De Ruyter’s appointment confirms ‘white privilege’ – ANC Youth Task Team
The task team views the appointment as a blatant disregard for black skills and experience in the process of appointing a CEO.
Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter. Image: Moneyweb
While the DA and ANC congratulated Andre De Ruyter on his appointment as Eskom’s CEO, the ANC National Youth Task Team has described it as “confirmation of the deep root of white privilege in South Africa’s boardrooms.”
The task team views the appointment as a blatant disregard for skills and experience in the process of appointing an Eskom CEO.
“The appointment of De Ruyter with his long history of eroding shareholder value in major corporations can only be explained in the darker corners of cronyism, which seem to be perpetuated by the minister of public enterprises and confirms that white privilege remains the order of the day in South African boardrooms.
“A black candidate with De Ruyter’s track record would have never been allowed anywhere near the shortlist, let alone been appointed as CEO of this important but ailing entity.”
The task team claimed De Ruyter’s track record at Sasol and Nampak made it inconceivable that he should be selected to salvage Eskom.
“There exists no sound basis for such an appointment unless [Gordhan] is committed to collapsing Eskom completely.
“If there is truth to allegations that De Ruyter is well known for his creative reporting and cooking of the books, then we must brace ourselves for a larger scandal than the catastrophe which happened with Steinhoff. ”
Disregard for the many women and black candidates in the recruitment process had been indicative of the gender and racial bias that characterised South African boardrooms, the league argued.
De Ruyter’s appointment has received mixed reactions, with the EFF also expressing their dissatisfaction with the appointment.
Calling De Ruyter’s appointment shameful with a clear intention to collapse Eskom in order to rationalise privatisation, the EFF described the appointment as Gordhan spearheading a project set to undermine black executives at state-owned enterprises.
The ANC, however, welcomed the appointment and urged South Africans to unite to play a part in rebuilding Eskom.
De Ruyter, who is currently Nampak CEO, is set to take over the reins at Eskom in January.
(Compiled by Gopolang Moloko)
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