Eskom immediately let go of de Ruyter after a bombshell interview aired on ‘My Guest Tonight with Annika Larsen’ on Tuesday. Image: @AnnikaLarsen1.
De Ruyter’s allegations based on unsubstantiated claims by apartheid-era spy – report
De Ruyter’s allegations of ANC involvement in Eskom looting were reportedly based on untested claims from a R50 million privately-funded investigation.
Eskom immediately let go of de Ruyter after a bombshell interview aired on ‘My Guest Tonight with Annika Larsen’ on Tuesday. Image: @AnnikaLarsen1.
Former Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter’s allegations that top ANC members were involved in the looting of Eskom are reportedly based on untested claims made by a former apartheid spy.
Reliability of ‘Intelligence Files’ Questioned
According to investigative journalist Jacques Pauw, writing for News24, de Ruyter’s Eskom intelligence files were compiled by a former member of the apartheid-era Military Intelligence Unit, Tony Oosthuizen.
The private investigation cost approximately R50 million and was funded by Business Leadership SA. The aim of the investigation was to expose wrongdoing at the power utility that law enforcement agencies failed to address.
However, the information produced proved to be dubious without any hard evidence.
De Ruyter’s bombshell revelations about the ANC using Eskom as a feeding trough and criminal cartels linked to the looting were all reportedly drawn from the reports. In the interview, the former CEO made mention of a privately-funded investigation.
The investigation was conducted through a company owned by George Fivaz, the first National Police Commissioner of democratic South Africa, George Fivaz Forensic and Risk (GFFR).
Fivaz told News24 the analysis reports de Ruyter’s allegations came from contained “untested information and several names of individuals that are, according to our informants, involved in the plundering of Eskom. This is raw information. None or very little of the information has been subjected to a proper investigation.”
Speaking to CapeTalk on Wednesday, Pauw said his article does not mean there is not any corruption at the power utility.
De Ruyter’s Refusal to Disclose Names of Alleged Corrupt ANC Politicians Frustrates Parliamentary Committee
De Ruyter appeared before the Parliament Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) on Wednesday morning, 26 April, to answer questions regarding the allegations made in the interview and corruption at the power utility.
As previously reported, de Ruyter made it clear he would not divulge the names of ANC politicians allegedly involved in the corruption. He told the Committee he provided Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan and National Security Advisor Sydney Mufamadi with the information and said they would be better placed to answer questions.
READ MORE: SCOPA frustrated: De Ruyter refuses to drop names in Parliament
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