Andre de Ruyter reveals why he took the most difficult job in South Africa

Former Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter said he took the top job at Eskom because, at the time, he believed he could make a difference in South Africa.

De Ruyter said that, while it was an honour to serve as the utility’s CEO, if he knew then what he knows now, he might have thought twice about taking on the role.

In a recent interview with Ontbytsake, De Ruyter outlined why he decided to become Eskom’s CEO when many considered it a poisoned chalice.

By the time De Ruyter joined Eskom in December 2019, the utility had had 12 CEOs in around two decades.

In 2019, Eskom had also started to implement load-shedding more regularly than in previous years, making the utility and, by association, those at the helm deeply disliked by many South Africans.

During this time, whoever found themselves in the top job at Eskom would face intense scrutiny and political pressure to turn the utility around, which is when De Ruyter stepped up.

“I don’t know how many people were on the list before me, but I was probably the only one who was dumb or brave enough to put up my hand when the offer came,” he told Ontbytsake.

He explained that he had gotten to know Jabu Mabuza, who had served as the utility’s chairman from 2018 to 2020, very well through their involvement with Business Leadership South Africa.

De Ruyter explained that, when Mabuza approached him about potentially taking the helm at Eskom, he accepted.

“At the time, I felt that you cannot stand around a braai and complain about the state of the country, and when the opportunity comes for you to try to do something about it, then you say, ‘No thanks, I’ll leave that to someone else’.”

“Then you forego your right to complain, and that was my rationale behind taking the job.”

“When he approached me, I said yes. I think if I look back now and if I had known what was awaiting me, I might have thought about it twice.”

De Ruyter under fire

De Ruyter faced intense scrutiny during his time at Eskom, as the utility’s performance continued to decline and load-shedding became a far more common occurrence under his leadership.

During his time at the helm, De Ruyter faced both praise and scrutiny, aimed at his fixation on green energy efforts and exposing corruption at the utility.

De Ruyter would often point to the rampant corruption and sabotage at Eskom as reasons for the utility’s declining performance.

His critics pointed to De Ruyter’s poor leadership and low staff morale as reasons for Eskom’s underperformance, saying he should focus his efforts on improving the utility’s operations rather than “playing policeman”.

However, others praised his anti-corruption efforts, welcoming his attempts to root out criminality that had become synonymous with corruption during former President Jacob Zuma’s presidency.

The former CEO also faced intense political pressure during his time at Eskom, with the government pushing him to turn the utility around and bring load-shedding to an end.

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe had a particularly tense relationship with De Ruyter.

Mantashe told De Ruyter to stop being a policeman and focus on his job. The minister also said he was not suited for the job of leading Eskom.

These tensions came to a head in December 2022, when De Ruyter unexpectedly announced his plans to resign from the utility, saying he would only stay in the role until 31 March 2024.

However, this timeline did not pan out, as De Ruyter’s ended up leaving the utility in February 2023.

This abrupt exit came after De Ruyter made serious allegations in an interview with Annika Larsen, in which he claimed that there is knowledge and support for corruption at the highest levels of the ANC and the government.

While not naming names, De Ruyter claimed that some high-ranking ministers and government officials were not only aware of but involved in corruption at the utility.

Following this interview, De Ruyter left not only Eskom but also South Africa, fleeing to Europe, where he stayed for a few months before taking a new job as a senior guest lecturer in the United States.

“I never considered myself a hero. There was a job to do, and it was a very difficult job. I enjoyed working with good colleagues,” De Ruyter said. 

“I also had my moments of strife and trouble with some of the other people involved in the Eskom saga, but it was, for me, an honour and a privilege to make a contribution to the country.”