Instead of gathering intelligence about saboteurs and coal thieves at Eskom’s power stations, the SSA sent an agent to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt, where I spoke at COP27 about the fair transition to new energy.

At a signing ceremony for new independent power projects at the IPP Procurement Programme Office in Centurion on 8 December, Mantashe made the astonishing statement that Eskom was ‘actively agitating for the overthrow of the state’. The Eskom representative at the signing ceremony sent me an alarmed WhatsApp, saying that the minister’s statement was so incredible that he wasn’t sure that he had heard correctly. He conferred with Terence Creamer of Engineering News, who confirmed that he had heard the same thing.No doubt some of De Ruyter’s actions were contrary to the way ANC cabinet ministers conduct business and were deemed arrogant; no doubt he was perceived as impatient and no doubt he probably did contravene the confidentiality clause of his employment contract. De Ruyter compares Ramaphosa to a 'genial country club manager' in new book". The Citizen. 14 May 2023 . Retrieved 16 May 2023. De Ruyter claims achievements in his three years. The culture changed, operations began to show signs of recovery, at an operational level the utility was profitable, Lethabo power station turned around, he successfully lobbied the Presidency for the lifting of the cap on what independents can produce, and he helped raise billions for South Africa’s green energy transition. Knowing that ground zero for corruption in Eskom lay in the heart of the coal value chain in Mpumalanga, which is overseen by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy in its role as mining regulator, made Mantashe’s next move all the more galling. The City Press reported that the book was kept a secret and had a surprise launch out of fears that someone would try to prevent it from being published.

The allegations ignited a fire in the media and within government, with stakeholders scrambling to find out precisely who de Ruyter was referring to. Under the Treasury’s debt relief plan for Eskom, once an international engineering firm has made findings on the state of our ageing coal-powered fleet, power stations that are worth rescuing will be handed over to private firms to run.But with all the red tape and problems at Eskom, will the private sector not find themselves in an untenable position? The detail and evidence in Truth to Power is comprehensive – not surprising when one hears that De Ruyter began collecting information for the book six months after taking over as CEO in January 2020, according to the Financial Mail. In terms of interference, the former CEO reportedly pointed to a strained relationship with the new board, which tried to usurp operation powers from the executive team and sidelined them frequently. This made de Ruyter’s job untenable, he said.

Unintended consequences

It’s very frustrating trying to convince someone who doesn’t listen to the data. De Ruyter had to deal with this for three years trying to convince the ANC how to solve the energy crisis. I deal with this issue in my work as well. It drains you.