Saftu to lay criminal charges against Andre De Ruyter

The Eskom board and outgoing CEO Andre de Ruyter recently faced MPs for the first time this year when they appeared before Parliament’s finance watchdog, Scopa. Photographer: Armand Hough. African News Agency (ANA)

The Eskom board and outgoing CEO Andre de Ruyter recently faced MPs for the first time this year when they appeared before Parliament’s finance watchdog, Scopa. Photographer: Armand Hough. African News Agency (ANA)

Published Mar 6, 2023

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Johannesburg - The SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) says it will be laying criminal charges against the former Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter later today.

This after De Ruyter reportedly failed to respond to Saftu’s letter, requesting that further information be provided to authorities on alleged criminal activities at Eskom.

The union says it also wants De Ruyter to reveal the identity of the minister and officials that he alluded to during a recent television interview, allegedly accused of involvement in corruption at the power utility.

Last week and during an interview with eNCA that resulted in De Ruyter’s resignation being with immediate effect, the former Eskom CEO alluded to there being an involvement of ANC officials who are ministers in the collapse and corruption at the power utility.

It is reported that De Ruyter has already briefed national police commissioner Fannie Masemola about allegations of corruption and the alleged cartels working out of Mpumalanga after some members of the ANC and President Cyril Ramaphosa called on De Ruyter to back up his allegations by opening a formal criminal case against those responsible.

“Saftu will be laying charges against André de Ruyter tomorrow March 6 (today) at the Hillbrow police station at 14:00 for contravening Sect 4 of Precca (Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act). He clearly has not laid charges against people he won’t name, that allegedly used Eskom as a feeding trough,” Saftu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said on Sunday.

Media reports indicate that at least four syndicates operating in Mpumalanga, where most of the country’s coal-powered stations are, have been subject to an investigation.

With just under 12 hours left before Ramaphosa finally announces changes to his Cabinet, Vavi said the reshuffle would not change the material conditions of the people.

“The question to be asked is the Cabinet reshuffle to do what? To advance whose interest and what agenda? We must bear in mind that South Africa finds itself in a situation where the state is dysfunctional. We are in a failed state.

“We are in a banana republic. Everything that is unfolding shows us that we are in a ship tilting towards an iceberg and the captain which is the president appears to have been blindfolded and we are waiting for an implosion to happen,” Vavi said.

The Star