Ramaphosa says he will applaud the person who takes over as Eskom CEO

President Cyril Ramaphosa said he will “applaud” the person who agrees to take over as the chief executive officer (CEO) of the beleaguered state power utility Eskom.

ESKOM: RAMAPHOSA SAYS ITS A DIFFICULT JOB

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Eskom’s CEO Andre de Ruyter resigned last month and is set to step down at the end of March.

According to News24, Eskom has been criticized for the worst power cuts in the history of South Africa since 2008.

The company’s coal-fired plants regularly break down and it doesn’t have money to buy diesel that’s needed to supplement its generation capacity.

It reported that South Africa saw 205 days of load shedding last year.

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RAMAPHOSA SAYS HE APPLAUD ANYONE WHO TAKES THE JOB AS ESKOM CEO

The company’s coal-fired plants regularly break down, and they don’t have money to buy the diesel needed to supplement its generation capacity.

“It’s a difficult job,” Ramaphosa said during a media briefing.

“I applaud anyone who takes that job (Eskom CEO).

“We are dealing with it as urgently as we possibly can.

“We should be pleased that the grid had not collapsed, that would be the worst Armageddon,” Ramaphosa said.

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De Ruyter recently survived an attempt on his life after an assassin reportedly laced his coffee with cyanide a day after he resigned as Eskom CEO.

According to a report by EE Business Intelligence De Ruyter confirmed the attempt on his life, which took place on Tuesday, 13 December 2022, a day after he submitted his resignation as CEO to the Eskom chairman, Mpho Makwana, but before this became publicly known on 14 December 2022.

De Ruyter became weak, dizzy, and confused, shaking uncontrollably and vomiting continuously after drinking a cup of coffee.

This happened in his office at Eskom Megawatt Park in Sunninghill.

He subsequently collapsed, unable to walk.