Eskom board backs De Ruyter in spat with suspended official

Eskom’s board has expressed its support in the utility’s leadership, particularly in the wake of CEO Andre De Ruyter’s fallout with suspended Chief Procurement Officer Solly Tshitangano.

“The Board of Eskom therefore wishes to affirm its support and confidence in the executive management of the company in instilling a high performance culture, including the application of appropriate consequence management in accordance with Eskom’s internal disciplinary processes. The Board has complete faith in the company’s internal processes and governance procedures to deliver a fair process and outcome on the matter of the suspended Chief Procurement Officer,” Eskom’s board said in a statement.

It added that Eskom’s executive management team remains fully accountable to the board, and that it is confident that it’s currently performing its critically important duties to restore the utility to operational stability and a sustainable financial position.

Eskom board: Solly Tshitangano firing ‘unwarranted attacks’

The statement came after the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) was set to receive preside over a hearing into Eskom’s annual report on Wednesday, 3 March 2021. The sitting had to be suspended because they had received a letter from Solly Tshitangano, accusing Eskom CEO Andre De Ruyter of purging black suppliers.

“The allegations are very serious, and so, the CEO will have to be afforded an opportunity to address us and respond to the allegations that have been made against him. So, we will put the issues that have been raised to him. So, I think that the committee’s investigative process must ensue on this matter given the importance of Eskom. It is very very urgent,” Scopa Chairperson, Mkhuleko Hlengwa said.

Tshitangano was suspended from Eskom pending a disciplinary hearing into his failure to meet performance targets.

Without mentioning him by name, the board said certain reports in the media seek to influence the utility’s affairs and internal processes.

“Unfortunately, over the past few weeks a number of allegations have been put in the public domain and in the media, which, on the face of it, seek to influence internal operational and good governance processes by exerting pressure through structures outside of Eskom,” the board further said.

“These allegations and the accompanying unwarranted attacks on Eskom’s management team have the potential effect of distracting management from the critical role of restoring Eskom to operational effectiveness and financial stability”