South Africa
De Ruyter says Eskom job became untenable─── 06:01 Fri, 16 Dec 2022
Outgoing Eskom CEO André de Ruyter says he is looking forward to spending time with his family. He said he stepped down from his position after it became untenable. He will, however, stay on until March next year.
"Unfortunately, I'm currently in a position where I do not regard that... as tenable, and I have accordingly decided to step back to allow the board the opportunity to appoint a candidate who may be better suited, perhaps better equipped for the strategic and operational objectives at hand," he said during a media briefing on Thursday, 15 December 2022.
"I'm obviously disappointed that I could not achieve all of the objectives that I had set myself," he said.
His resignation comes as the country experiences persistent power cuts.
During the media briefing, the Minister of Public Enterprises, Pravin Gordhan, dismissed comments of political interference at Eskom while defending De Ruyter.
"Those of you who are more knowledgeable know that the mess didn't start in 2019, it didn't start in 2009, 10, 11, or 12, it started a long time ago. There's a long list of people who must be held responsible."
