‘Racist marginalisation of Black executives and companies’ at Eskom must end, say EFF

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) on Saturday 27 February 2021 noted the “suspension of Eskom Chief Procurement Officer Solly Tshitangano by CEO Andre de Ruyter”. The party said in a statement:

This comes after Solly Tshitangano took issue with the solidification of racist tendencies by De Ruyter at Eskom, which included favouring white companies over black companies, and the continuing removal of all voices of black managers who do not toe De Ruyter’s destructive line at Eskom”.

The EFF claims that Tshitangano’s power as procurement officer was taken away by “De Ruyter and a group of white men he has surrounded himself with at Eskom”.

The party also states that Tshitangano outlined several irregularities in a letter to Minister Pravin Gordhan – twice. Tshitangano desribed how “destructive and racist De Ruyter has been at Eskom”.

“It is saddening, although not surprising, that Tshitangano wrote to Gordhan twice, […] and twice Gordhan ignored him. We have long maintained that Gordhan is the chief architect of the destruction of Eskom”.

The EFF added that Gordhan “has a very disdainful view of black people, particularly African people”. They believe this is the reason why Gordhan ignored Tshitangano, “because, in his racist mind, white is always right”.

One of these irregularities include suspending a contract with Econ Oil, a black-owned supplier, without any thorough investigation”.

We now know that an independent adjudicator ruled last December that the tender Eskom had awarded to Econ Oil was regular and enforceable. De Ruyter, together with his white enforces, were irritated with having a black-owned company contracted to Eskom for such a lot of money, an abomination in their racist culture and thought”.

The party now calls on De Ruyter to “explain himself” with regards to his motivation to suspend Econ Oil, adding that the Eskom CEO “must make public the investigation reports he relied on”.

The party also calls on him to “explain the role Ben Theron and Werner Moulter at Eskom, and the legal instruments from which they derive their authority” at the power-generation company.

[De Ruyter] must further explain why did these two white men undermine the authority of the Chief Procurement Officer [Solly Tshitangano] at Eskom”.

The party is further pleased that Tshitangano will appear before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts in Parliament.

We will use this opportunity to ask Tshitanganoto lay bare the abuse of the procurement process at Eskom to exclude black companies and benefit white companies. Gordan and De Ruyter’s reign of terror at Eskom needs to be brought to an abrupt end, and we shall ensure that this happens fast”.