Durban - Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has challenged former Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter to unmask the two cabinet ministers he alleges are involved in corruption at the power utility.
Speaking to the Sunday Tribune, Mantashe said De Ruyter must come forward with the information, labelling and identifying who the ministers were.
“Which ministers? We want people to identify culprits and then we deal with that issue, then the ANC can investigate,” Mantashe said.
Before his ousting by the Eskom board last month, De Ruyter alleged, during a television interview, that there was rampant corruption at Eskom.
He said at least two ANC Cabinet ministers were benefiting and four cartels operating in Eskom were receiving R1 billion from the corrupt activities.
When quizzed how that tainted a compromised public image of the ANC, Mantashe said there was a motive behind such allegations.
“If you go around and say the ANC is actually stealing from Eskom and you don’t give details, you are actually creating and strengthening the view that the ANC is corrupt, but if you say ‘Mantashe steals from Eskom’, then society will begin to understand that Mantashe steals, not the ANC.
“My view is that it is deliberate to dent the image of the ANC.”
He said he did not know whether the allegations would have a major impact on the outcome on the general elections next year.
“Everybody, including journalists, are campaigning against the ANC. The ANC must internalise that it is swimming against a heavy stream that is decampaigning it. Sections of the media are party to this.”
Again, Mantashe questioned De Ruyter’s allegations of certain cartels benefiting around R1bn from Eskom each month.
“Who are the cartels? How do they access Eskom money? That’s my question. An outside cartel cannot have access to Eskom money if Eskom systems are tight,” he said.
Regarding De Ruyter’s allegation that he was poisoned with cyanide in December 2022, following his resignation from Eskom, Mantashe said that he would not feed rumours, preferring to talk only facts.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE