Embattled former Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter should be forced to prove his claims that the ANC and its “corrupt” ministers have stolen billions of rands from the power utility or be charged criminally for failing to report the alleged crimes as required by section 34 of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act of 2004.
In terms of that law, any person who holds a position of authority and knows or suspects that another person has committed fraud, theft or corruption involving R100 000 or more, “must report such knowledge or suspicion or cause such knowledge or suspicion to be reported to a police official” .
By his own admission, De Ruyter knew of a minister who was stealing billions from the ailing power utility and another who protected the alleged corrupt minister. He claimed in a TV interview that the governing party had been looting R1-billion a month from Eskom.
De Ruyter’s allegations prompted ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula to hit back at him, saying he was making up stories to mask his own failures. Saftu has given him days to release evidence and the ATM has asked parliament to summon him to appear and testify.
The timing around De Ruyter’s claims is strange. He came to Eskom in 2018 and promised to end loadshedding within 18 months. Instead, he prematurely decommissioned some coal-fired power stations in favour of expensive renewal energy. For him to fashion himself as a whistleblower, is absurd. At the very least, he must be compelled legally to prove his claims or be charged.
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