Cape Town - Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan has denied claims made by Eskom’s former interim chairperson, Malegapuru Makgoba, that he approved the private investigation into corruption at Eskom launched by former chief executive André de Ruyter.
Gordhan appeared before the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) to discuss De Ruyter’s allegations of corruption, theft, maladministration, sabotage, lack of consequence management, cartels and other irregularities at Eskom.
Last week, Makgoba told Scopa that President Cyril Ramaphosa and Gordhan were aware of De Ruyter’s controversial investigation into corruption at Eskom.
Makgoba said De Ruyter had also informed national security adviser Sydney Mufamadi about corruption and sabotage at Eskom. Mufamadi will be appearing before the committee on Tuesday next week.
In a statement he made to the committee before members began asking him questions, Gordhan said of Makgoba’s testimony to Scopa: “With respect to him, he has gotten it absolutely wrong and in that sense, Professor Magkoba is misleading and misinforming the public.”
Gordhan said De Ruyter’s allegation that he was micromanaging the power utility was “absolute nonsense”.
“In plain terms, so that the public understands me clearly, there was no interference with the work of the chief executive or of any senior manager at Eskom, and if that is the excuse that is being used in books or interviews for the lack of performance, it is a pitiful excuse.”
Gordhan said the fact that the country was a year away from the next general election had opened the door to “fake political narratives, character assassinations, and all sorts of things and that context, or elements of the context, should not be forgotten.”
He said it was clear that the ANC was under attack over Eskom, and accused De Ruyter of taking the country back to “swart gevaar tactics by labelling all of us as communists, as people who are mindless, which is the worst insult that anyone can cast on South Africans who want this country and Eskom to work.
“As I’ve said on many occasions before, the issue of electricity and energy, and indeed the consequences of load shedding, should be a mobilising factor for all political parties, all organisations and citizens at large as well.”
Gordhan denied an accusation put to him by committee member Benedicta van Minnen (DA) of “shooting the messenger” with his criticisms of De Ruyter, and said: “This is not this poor little guy that’s being attacked.”
He said De Ruyter was at Eskom for three years, and if he hadn’t accomplished his mission he should instead show a sense of remorse and apologise to the country.
Committee member Sakhumzi Somyo (ANC) asked what expectations Gordhan had when he appointed De Ruyter to the post.
Gordhan replied that all he had wanted was someone who would deliver electricity to all South Africans while understanding that there would be an energy transition and that renewables, among others, would play a role in generating power.