Eskom’s top management and board chair have refused to be dragged into an intelligence operation the power utility’s former chief executive commissioned under the guise of unearthing corruption and sabotage at power stations.
This emerged from the “blame game” that unfolded before the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) meeting on Wednesday, where a former Eskom board chair defended the utility’s former CEO Andre de Ruyter for keeping the board in the dark.
Incumbent Eskom board chair Thabo Makwana and executives said they were never informed by De Ruyter that he had commissioned an intelligence investigation.
The intelligence operation, which is now a hot potato, apparently claimed that various syndicates and “cartels” were at the centre of “sabotaging” Eskom power stations for the benefit of certain politicians.
But the report formulated from the operation has since been discredited as fake and not backed by any empirical evidence.
But former Eskom board chair professor Malegapuru Makgoba defended De Ruyter, saying he did not have to inform the board since it was well within his rights as CEO to deal with operational matters “as he deemed fit”.
“When he [De Ruyter] decided to gather this intelligence, he decided to do it on his own. At least he told me he was not going to, because of the leaks and the low trust that existed,” said Makgoba.
“The board did not sanction because it was an operational matter, and he had the authority. I have been a CEO and there are certain operational things I had to do and never had to go to council to request permission.”
Makgoba was contradicted by Eskom head of security Karen Pillay who told Scopa that Eskom does not have the mandate to gather intelligence without the assistance of the State Security Agency.
She, as the boss for security at the state-owned entity, was in the dark about De Ruyter’s maneuvers.
“We were not authorized to conduct an intelligence operation because that is the mandate of the state. Under no circumstances did we [Eskom] prepare, participate in nor present any intelligence report,” said Pillay.
Makwana said the board he led did not know about intelligence operations nor would they have approved them.
According to him, De Ruyter was out of line for clandestinely conducting an intelligence operation outside the parameters of relevant legislative prescripts.
He took exception to Scopa trying to get answers from the Eskom board about the activities that they could not get answers on from De Ruyter.
“The beauty of this is that you had us here when Mr De Ruyter appeared here not long ago. If this house could not get him to tell you what you want to know, why is Eskom put here to be Mr De Ruyter’s spokesperson?” asked a visibly annoyed Makwana.
Scopa members fumed with committee chair Mkhuleko Hlengwa losing his cool at some point.
“I do not think this blame game you want to draw us into is going to assist us at all. Please do not walk us through that path,” said Hlengwa.
But Makwana was unfazed, saying Scopa was forcing “matters down Eskom’s throat” when it knows the person with information was De Ruyter.
Makwana said Eskom was moving on from De Ruyter’s shenanigans and the process to appoint his replacement was well on course.
Eskom will resume interviews with the “solid candidates” they have shortlisted on Friday, a process that will take place behind closed doors.
Quizzed over this, Makwana said the power utility’s memorandum of incorporation does not provide for publicly conducted CEO interviews.
“I have no knowledge of anywhere in the world where an important process like this is being run in public,” he said.
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