It can’t have come as a shock to many that Eskom is infested with corruption or that some ANC leaders see the power utility as a feeding trough.
The surprise was that no less an authority than its former CEO Andre de Ruyter not only knew but had evidence that to that effect, which was deliberately ignored by an unnamed minister who believes his comrades must be allowed to “eat a bit”.
The claims made by De Ruyter this week go to the heart of many of our challenges. Those from whom we thought our solutions would come are, it appears, actively working to bring Eskom to its knees through corruption or profligacy.
A dysfunctional Eskom threatens our economy and forces companies to incur huge additional costs to sustain operations while it obliterates many small businesses.
There can be no doubt, therefore, that De Ruyter's claims are serious and must be probed.
It is regrettable that he could not reveal the full extent of this corruption before his resignation. And we are left wondering why Eskom opened several cases of sabotage at different power stations but did not seek to do the same in the case of politicians bent on feeding off the company.
The point is that all those responsible for corruption at the utility, regardless of their station in life, must face the full wrath of the law.
In order for this to happen, it is important for De Ruyter to speak clearly about the nature of the problems he encountered at Eskom.
He told the nation that “evidence suggests” that Eskom is the “feeding trough” of the ANC.
That “evidence” will be crucial to ensure justice is served. The law imposes a duty on all of us who are aware of illegality to report such practices to the police.
While we welcome De Ruyter’s decision to speak out, we believe he should be ready to provide specific details.
This means he must reveal, to law enforcement agencies the names of the senior politicians he has implicated, their networks at Eskom, their modus operandi and any other relevant information.
Certainly, that would be a shot in the arm for the fledgling fight against the corruption that has spawned record-breaking load-shedding. Otherwise, his claims will amount to a little more than rumour or gossip.
The point is that all those responsible for corruption at the utility, regardless of their station in life, must face the full wrath of the law
With De Ruyter’s departure, it is opportune to reflect on why load-shedding became worse on his watch, costing the economy billions of rands.
Some have argued that his lack of competence and suitability to run Eskom was a major contributing factor, while others, including De Ruyter himself, will point to ANC-sponsored corruptionand other criminality.
We believe public outrage at the worsening power supply situation would have resulted in political pressure being exerted on management to, against its better judgment, make choices that were not technically sustainable.
Elsewhere this week we report that warnings by engineers at Kusile power station that a unit there should not be run at a high capacity were ignored by Eskom management, leading to the collapse of a component of the unit’s chimney system, which continues to rob the country of power equivalent to two stages of load-shedding.
What is clear from this sorry saga is that there are internal and external factors that contributed to the degeneration.
We must hope that with the appointment of a new CEO and minister of electricity, the board and the shareholder will ensure that what contributed to the current mess is not allowed to recur.
It is the least government can do for businesses battered by load-shedding and individuals at their wits’ end, including those who lost their jobs because of the scourge.
Importantly, what the economy and most South Africans need urgently is uninterrupted power supply. That should be the focus.
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