Black Business Council echoes calls for Eskom CEO De Ruyter to resign

The council's call comes amid an energy crisis that saw Eskom implement stage six load shedding this week.

JOHANNESBURG - The Black Business Council (BBC) has thrown its weight behind calls for Eskom CEO André de Ruyter to resign.

The council's call comes amid an energy crisis that saw Eskom implement stage 6 load shedding this week.

There have also been fears that stage 8 power cuts were imminent.

Speaking on 702 on Friday, BBC CEO Kganki Matabane said heads must roll.

The council believes de Ruyter failed to keep to his word that he would turn the power utility around.

De Ruyter was appointed CEO in November 2019.

He joined the power utility at a time when it was riddled with ageing infrastructure, structural defects at its power stations and corruption.

Part of de Ruyter's mission was to clean up the rot at the embattled state-owned enterprise.

More than two years later, de Ruyter's ambitious targets have come back to haunt him.

Matabane said de Ruyter has had plenty of time to turn Eskom around: “When the CEO of Eskom was appointed, we welcomed that appointment because we wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. He said to South Africa 'give me 18 months. In these 18 months, you will experience load shedding but after 18 months things will get better'.

"But if you check since the appointment things have gotten worse. We've been on stage 4 load shedding even before the strike. Instead of solving the problem; he's forever on TV and giving excuses. When you are CEO and paid to do your job, you can't be spending all your time giving excuses.”

While Matabane also wants the Eskom board to be axed, he believes public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan's job is safe.

This article first appeared on EWN : Black Business Council echoes calls for Eskom CEO De Ruyter to resign

More from Local