Western Cape premier Alan Winde has noted with concern the sudden resignation of Eskom boss Andre de Ruyter.
Eskom confirmed in a statement on Wednesday night that De Ruyter had resolved to step down. However, the power utility said the embattled former chief executive has agreed to avail himself until March 2023 while Eskom searches for his replacement.
Leadership has become the most controversial aspect at Eskom, as it battles an energy crisis that subjects the whole country to rampant rolling blackouts. During its appearance in parliament over the year, MPs have called on the government to restructure and transform the cash-strapped power utility.
A new board was subsequently appointed, however, Eskom continued to sink and De Ruyter came under criticism for failing to turn the utility around.
As Eskom searches for what it calls a “suitably qualified leader”, appeals are growing louder for the swift appointment of a new leadership.
According to Winde, President Cyril Ramaphosa must ensure that the new Eskom boss will satisfy the needs and expectations of the nation.
“I urgently call on President Cyril Ramaphosa to outline how he will prioritise and ensure a fit-for-purpose Eskom leader that will deliver the energy plan as promised and needed by this province and country,” Winde said on Thursday.
Eskom has been battling energy crises for the past 15 years and the situation is getting worse. The crisis does not only impact the daily lives of people and their business operations, but may also be seen as a threat capable of driving the country’s economy into a recession.
When De Ruyter was appointed to the role in 2020, Eskom was already sinking.
Winde said the Western Cape government believes and acknowledges that De Ruyter was committed to his job, but lacked the support.
“Our experience as the Western Cape government of Mr De Ruyter is that he has been committed to resolving the significant and myriad long-standing issues facing Eskom during his almost three years at the helm. However, he lacked the critical government support to resolve these issues,” Winde said.
“His resignation comes at an extremely precarious time for South Africa, as we continue to face relentless and continuous loadshedding. Rather than deep anxiety about the leadership of the utility, we should all be doing everything we can to support the utility address its issues.
“I am deeply perturbed, as are all Western Cape residents. Since September 6, we have had only one day without loadshedding and we have had four rounds of stage-six loadshedding this year.”
Outlining the provincial government’s plans, Winde said his administration is doing all it can to reduce the impact of energy crisis in the province.
“We are committed to doing all that we can as a provincial government to reduce the disastrous impact that an unreliable electricity supply is having on the Western Cape. The provincial government has spent a significant amount of time across its departments working to mitigate loadshedding.
“We are spending R36-million over the medium term on the municipal energy resilience programme, which aims to support municipalities and the private sector to generate, procure, and sell their own power, so that we can reduce the impact of rolling power cuts in the province.”
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