The Kimberley Prospector

The explosive claims made by former Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter during an interview on television last week has sparked widespread reaction and discussion. De Ruyter claimed that there are ANC leaders who are benefiting from illegal contracts at Eskom. Professor Mark Swilling, a co-director of the Center of Sustainability Transitions at Stellenbosch University, has weighed in on the issue and says there is nothing new in what De Ruyter said.

Prof. Swilling points out that there have been numerous commissions of inquiry into similar issues, and the evidence of corruption in senior positions has already been established. He also notes that the ANC has taken steps to address corruption, such as the ‘step aside’ rule and President Cyril Ramaphosa’s admission that state capture happened on their watch.

However, what surprised Prof. Swilling was the reaction of the ANC Secretary General, Ace Magashule, who accused De Ruyter of making accusations without evidence. Prof. Swilling believes that the response people wanted to hear from the ANC was a commitment to launch investigations and get to the bottom of the allegations of corruption against their own members.

Prof. Swilling also discussed the energy crisis in South Africa, and how it started in 1998 when power station maintenance was ignored to keep the lights on. He believes that now is the time to get to the bottom of what is happening at Eskom and to fix the energy crisis. He notes that academics have documented the story of the energy crisis for years and that there is no quick fix.

In discussing the departure of De Ruyter, Prof. Swilling believes that he knew what the outcome was going to be and that he was probably already on his way out. He also said that the country is now in a situation where they have a new board, an acting CEO and the possibility of senior executives leaving. He notes that the entire country depends on the institution functioning correctly and that the crisis needs to be addressed.

Overall, Prof. Swilling believes that the response to De Ruyter’s claims should be to separate the man from the ball play and to launch investigations in order to get to the bottom of the allegations and fix the energy crisis.