Eskom’s chief financial officer, Calib Cassim, has been appointed as the interim CEO as the search for a permanent successor to Andre de Ruyter continues. Picture: Simphiwe Mbokazi, African News Agency
EMBATTLED power utility Eskom has been urged to beef up the security detail of the incoming CEO to match that of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s VIP protection and to ensure that board members and plant managers are granted security details matching those of Cabinet ministers.
This is the advice of independent energy expert Tsepo Kgadima, who says that the first and critical step to turning Eskom’s fortunes around is to ensure that those running the organisation are granted sufficient security as provided to the president and members of his Cabinet.
Former Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter has been on record stating that he received death threats from those benefiting from corruption at Eskom following his efforts to clean up the troubled power supplier.
De Ruyter had to hire bodyguards following the threats on social media stemming from public dissatisfaction with the rolling blackouts as the energy crisis in the country intensified last year.
In a recent television interview, De Ruyter made claims of rampant corruption at Eskom, and said that at least two Cabinet ministers were allegedly benefiting from corrupt activities at Eskom and a reported four cartels were receiving R1 billion a month from corruption while operating at the power utility.
De Ruyter has repeatedly spoken about threats to his life and on December 12, a day after he resigned, he was allegedly poisoned and his doctors found high levels of cyanide in his blood.
De Ruyter had agreed to stay on as CEO until the end of March but was summarily asked to leave after his recent disclosures. Eskom’s chief financial officer, Calib Cassim, has been appointed as the interim CEO as the search for a permanent successor to De Ruyter continues.
Kgadima told the Sunday Tribune that such rogue elements would not take kindly to any efforts to clean up Eskom, as this would stifle their interests and close the taps from which they are benefiting through sabotaging the power utility.
“The most appropriate and effective measure is to accord the CEO of Eskom exactly the same VIP protection that is accorded to the president of the country. The chair of the board, CFO and possibly the board members, but specifically the general managers or power station managers, must be accorded the same VIP status as you accord a Cabinet minister,” Kgadima said.
He said this would help in warding off Eskom’s saboteurs, the mafia cartels operating within Eskom and all others unduly benefiting from the crisis at the power utility which has also left the country’s economy struggling amid business closures and job losses.
“Failure to do that (give VIP security to the Eskom CEO, board and managers) would see Eskom collapse within the next six months. There will be no Eskom six months from now. It is very dire,” Kgadima said.
Chris Yelland, an energy expert, said although he would not know the level of security that would be needed by those leading Eskom, threats made to the likes of De Ruyter showed there was a need for security.
Bearing in mind the attempt on De Ruyter’s life and the fact that power station managers wore bulletproof vests and were surrounded by bodyguards, Yelland said there should be significant security for those running the organisation.
“De Ruyter and others do have security details as they do go with bodyguards allocated. The question is, should it be more or should it be less? I’m sure it should not be less, if anything it should be more, because we are in a very dangerous time with these syndicates operating.”