Truth to Power: My Three Years Inside Eskom

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Under the Treasury’s debt relief plan for Eskom, once an international engineering firm has made findings on the state of our ageing coal-powered fleet, power stations that are worth rescuing will be handed over to private firms to run.But with all the red tape and problems at Eskom, will the private sector not find themselves in an untenable position? Gordhan looked over at Mufamadi and said, ‘Well, I guess it was inevitable that it would come out.’ 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. PG not trusting that his own house isnt bugged. An SSA that remains mostly rogue. Police who report & answer directly to particular Politicians. Untouchables within the ANC more powerful & influential than the President! After the meeting, I was driven to Megawatt Park. A sense of quiet relief filled me. The die had been cast – I would go. DM

Truth to Power (book) - Wikipedia

When government and the ANC later tried to disavow all knowledge of how high the Eskom corruption stretched, I could only shake my head in amazement. Surely there is a point where complacency becomes complicity. But party unity was to be protected über alles . Of course, the looting was not confined to the executive floor of Megawatt Park. Once it became clear that it was now open season, many employees, ably abetted by contractors and suppliers, gorged themselves. The implication of this transition is clear: we must bid the old Eskom farewell. The notion of a vertically integrated monolithic monopoly that meets most of the power needs of a country is as superannuated as a state-owned telephone company.' The person who gave me the original tip-off was terrified for his safety. ‘If they find out I’m talking to you, they will kill me,’ he said. Truth to power is not a book that I think warrants a rating. So, I will shoot right straight to my impression of its contents.ALSO READ: Hero or opportunist? Mixed views on Andre de Ruyter tell-all book ANDRE DE RUYTER BOOKS MAKES WHOPPING SALES

Truth to Power: My Three Years Inside Eskom by Andre de Truth to Power: My Three Years Inside Eskom by Andre de

The book paints a bleak picture of South Africa’s past and future. To repair coal power stations is costly and not economically feasible. Maintenance was neglected and reduced the overall lifetime of these plants. We can run them longer and reduce loadshedding at the cost of doing maintenance, but that thinking is what got us into this mess. Adding more capacity is imperative, but coal power stations is not the answer. They are too expensive to build, and does nit attract investment from international investors who want to decarbonise. There is some light at the end of the tunnel with legislation allowing independent power producers to tie into the grid. Previously, there was a ridiculous limit of 10 MW, which was later raised to 100 MW, then 1000 MW, and finally altogether abolished. 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. The equation is quite simple: the more members we have, the more reporting and investigations we can do, and the greater the impact on the country.People must understand that a politician is a different breed of human. They do not care, they will look anyone in the eye and lie. I read with interest about the the imbizo held in the Winelands where those poor rural people raised their concerns to Ramaphoza and his cronies. I can very well imagine their excitement and honour to be speaking to the President.Sadly, they are all fooled by thinking they’re being taken serious. Don’t they know the next election is around the bend? It is a campaign ….Nothing else!!!! According to Makgoba, Gordhan may have tacitly greenlit the operation by requesting that de Ruyter launch an investigation into Eskom as it was “besieged” at the time.