By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The immediate past Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of South African power utility Eskom, Andre de Ruyter, on Wednesday appeared before a probe panel of multi-party parliamentarians where he declined to name high-ranking politicians allegedly involved in corrupt activities at the state-owned company that have been linked the the country’s worsening power crisis.
He met the parliamentary committee virtually from an undisclosed location where he was queried about his claims during a February television interview that politicians linked to the ruling African National Congress (ANC) were involved in corrupt dealings at Eskom that has crippled the activities of the utility company.
According to De Ruyter, revealing the names and details of ANC leaders involved in the corrupt dealings could jeopardize the ongoing investigations, even as he reminded the lawmakers that he reported the matter to the police and the country’s intelligence services.
At the time of his TV interview, de Ruyter was still within the three-months’ notice he gave when he resigned from the company in December.
The government however cancelled the notice and De Ruyter was asked to leave immediately.
De Ruyter previously claimed that Eskom lost at least 1 billion rands (about $55 million) to corruption every month. He said in his submission to the parliamentary committee Wednesday that the figure was a conservative estimate.
Most committee members appeared frustrated with de Ruyter’s refusal to name politicians he had accused of corruption. Some lawmakers suggested he should be made to take an oath and reveal all.
De Ruyter said he was trying to avoid possible legal action and that various sources who had provided him with information had expressed fears for their safety.
“The alleged criminal and unlawful activities that are currently under investigation are of a very sensitive and complex nature and they involve elements that are best characterized as organized crime,” he explained. “I would not want to be seen as defeating the ends of justice.”
Veronica Mente, a parliament member from the opposition party Economic Freedom Fighters, called on the committee to invoke its “mechanisms” to compel De Ruyter to reveal the implicated politicians and to answer all questions posed by lawmakers.
In a statement released Wednesday, Eskom said there is nothing in de Ruyter’s submissions that were not already being dealt with by law enforcement agencies.
