Truth to Power: My Three Years Inside Eskom

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The standard joke about corruption is “Mr Ten Percent” – meaning a middleman who adds 10% onto the price of everything passing through his hands. Under Koko and Molefe, this had allegedly ballooned into “Mr Ten Thousand Percent”.

The R50 million investigation, which took place between January 2022 to February this year, was conducted by the investigating agency of former police commissioner George Fivaz. During this dark chapter in our nation’s history, political interference and widespread corruption in state-owned enterprises was the norm. President Jacob Zuma and his cohorts, including the infamous Gupta family, infiltrated the highest levels of these organisations by appointing pliable deployees to key management and board positions.

Brazen looting

De Ruyter writes that “all the spin doctoring and obfuscation in the world can’t hide that there is one common denominator to all these events, whether through policy failings, incompetence, state capture or corruption”. In a meeting with Gordhan at a secure location in Pretoria the following day, where we discussed progress on intelligence-gathering in Mpumalanga with a senior police officer and intelligence operatives, I expressed my concern at the looming SSA fishing expedition, where my personal details would be at the mercy of people who had demonstrated no interest in my welfare. When I walked with Gordhan to our vehicles, I told him that Mantashe’s statements were unacceptable. I told him that I was considering resigning because I did not want my integrity impugned. Gordhan’s response was characteristic: ‘Hold on,’ he said, ‘I will tell you when it is time to go.’

Ministers and even the National Prosecuting Authority took away cellphones during meetings to avoid possible interception The cookie is set by CasaleMedia. The cookie is used to collect information about the usage behavior for targeted advertising. This was a clear case of micromanagement, and usually something that a CEO should try to avoid, but nothing else was working. I told my team that the last time I had operated in this fashion was when I was an assistant manager at Sasol. When I followed through, the embarrassment was enough to provoke action. All this drives home the hopeless positions in which state-owned enterprisesfind themselves. They are tied and bound and made unfit for purpose.It also turns out that Public Enterprise Minister Pravin Gordhan was the Cabinet member who allegedly said, ‘Well, I suspect it was inevitable that this would come out’, when De Ruyter disclose the names of the two politicians who were allegedly implicated in Eskom corruption. Mpho had none of this dedication to efficiency: he would sit on letters and documents for months, both incoming and outgoing. At one stage eighteen documents were in limbo – not being signed, and not being actioned. He also didn’t wish to sign even self-explanatory letters and documents without these being syndicated by two or more board committees. It was particularly galling for the management of Eskom to be exhorted by both President Ramaphosa and Minister Gordhan to display a greater sense of urgency when we were at the mercy of the ‘activist’ and ‘engaged’ board under a go-slow chairman. Despite clearly being oriented towards the big picture, some, albeit minute sections of the book contained what felt like filler. Sometimes, to bring a point forward, he would begin with a relevant story, but then drag the story out and deliver underwhelming substance to the respecting point - leading to an anticlimactic effect. Note, this happens max twice as I recall.

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Before he could even launch into the performance review, I interrupted him, ‘Chair, I think the discussion may be rendered redundant by this’, and I slid a letter across the table to him. I don't know what to rate this book since it's hard to know what's him or the ghostwriters. But I think this is him. It’s very frustrating trying to convince someone who doesn’t listen to the data. De Ruyter had to deal with this for three years trying to convince the ANC how to solve the energy crisis. I deal with this issue in my work as well. It drains you.