Stepping down Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter has described his tenure at the helm of the power utility as being an untenable situation.
Speaking at a media briefing on Thursday following his resignation, De Ruyter said it had been a pleasure working at Eskom although he did not achieve all his objectives, especially the ones he had set for himself.
“I’m obviously very disappointed that I could not achieve all of the objectives that I had set myself. I think the circumstances surrounding Eskom are well known. The operational challenges, the financial challenges, crime, and corruption as well as some of the issues that we have experienced in delivering the unbundling of Eskom.
“Given recent media reports, I am unfortunately currently in a position where I do not regard that position as being tenable, and I have accordingly decided to step back to afford the shareholder and the board the opportunity to appoint a candidate to the position of group chief executive who may be better suited, may be better equipped for the strategic and operational objectives at hand.”
Eskom confirmed in a statement on Wednesday that De Ruyter had resolved to step down after serving as CEO of the SOE for just three years. However, the power utility said the embattled former CEO had agreed to avail himself until March 2023, while Eskom searches for his replacement.
Leadership has become the most controversial aspect, among the many challenges, at Eskom, in which the government is a shareholder and a major stakeholder as the national electricity supplier battles with the energy supply crisis that has subjected the whole country to rolling blackouts.
During a parliamentary portfolio committee sitting this year, MPs called on the government to restructure and transform the cash-strapped power utility.
Eskom has been battling energy crises for the past 15 years and the situation is not getting better as the citizens are getting agitated by the day due to the rampant power cuts.
The crisis does not only impact the daily lives of people and their business operations but is also be seen as a threat capable of driving the country’s economy into a meltdown. As things stand, when De Ruyter was appointed to become CEO in 2020, Eskom was already sinking.
He said during the briefing he was not “abandoning ship”, adding his resignation was just to allow the entity to find a more suitable candidate and to enable Eskom to resume its key role in ensuring it is capable of supplying the country with reliable electricity.
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