Home

State capture still part of Eskom: De Ruyter

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Eskom’s Chief Executive Officer Andre de Ruyter says that state capture is still part of the embattled state-owned entity.

Speaking at a panel discussion held by the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation this evening, seeking to find a post-state capture solution for the company, he said that he was surprised mostly by the lack of accountability, lack of clear governance structures, and proper delegation of authority when he first took over as CEO at Eskom.

“The entire notion that state capture ended when the Gupta’s jet took off from Lanseria, allegedly, is a myth. State capture and its ramifications still continue and it is still part of the fabric of what we are seeing, and it’s clear that there are still networks that were established during the period of state capture, that is very much invested in perpetuating fruits that they reaped during that era.”

Discussion on fixing Eskom after state capture:

Eskom financing

He says a technical task team comprised of government officials and ministers will negotiate agreements for the R131 billion concessional climate financing offer to the country announced at COP26 in Glasgow.

De Ruyter says some of the projects the power utility is looking to prioritise include the expansion of transmission infrastructure and strengthening of distribution.

“Of course the expansion of our transmission grid and the strengthening of our distribution grid are key initiatives to allow more generation capacity and more in particular our renewable generation capacity to come onto the grid as soon as we can. It is important to mention that the political announcement that was made at COP was an intergovernmental announcement.”

Author

MOST READ