EFF lashes out at Eskom CEO De Ruyter over the suspension of CFO Solly Tshitangano

The Economic Freedom Fighters has lashed at Eskom Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Andre de Ruyter after the suspension of Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) Solly Tshitangano at the power utility.

On Friday it emerged that Eskom suspended Tshitangano and that it will be instituting disciplinary action against him, following allegations of poor performance over the last year.

On Saturday the EFF called this nothing less of a racist act by De Ruyter.

“Tshitangano took issue with the solidification of racist tendencies by De Ruyter at Eskom, which included favouring white companies over black companies and continuing removal of all voices of black managers who do not toe De Ruyters’s destructive line at Eskom,” the party said in a statement.

EFF Statement On ESKOM’s Racist Marginalization Of Black Executives And Companies pic.twitter.com/oUzLdhm8md

— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) February 27, 2021

It said that Tshitangano’s had his powers taken after writing a letter to Public Enterprise Minister Pravin Gordhan where he outlined “how destructive and racist De Ruyter has been at Eskom.”

“In his letter, Tshitangano makes example of how De Ruyter was only too eager to suspend the contract Eskom had with Econ Oil, a black-owned supplier without any thorough investigation first.”

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The party said that an independent adjudicator ruled in December last year that the contract between Eskom and Econ Oil was regular and enforceable.

It has since called for De Ruyter to explain his motive behind the suspension of the Econ Oil Contract.

“He must make public the investigation report he relied on. Further, he must explain the role of Ben Theron and Werner Moulton at Eskom and the legal instruments from which they derive their authority at Eskom.”

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