JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – André de Ruyter, the outgoing CEO of crisis-hit South African state power utility Eskom, said on Thursday a lack of political support had made his position “untenable”.
The company said on Wednesday that de Ruyter had resigned, marking the 11th boss to have left the company in just over a decade and a major blow to efforts to end some of the worst power shortages in years.
“I am in a position where I’m also dependent on the support of the broader political economy,” de Ruyter told a news conference.
“Given recent media reports, I am unfortunately currently in a position … that is untenable and I have accordingly decided to step back.”
De Ruyter did not specify in what ways South African politicians had failed to support him, nor did he clarify which media reports he was referring to.
But his resignation came after energy minister Gwede Mantashe said last week that “Eskom, by not attending to (power cuts) … is agitating for the overthrow of the state”.
In November, Mantashe was also quoted by national media as saying De Ruyter was “acting like a policeman” rather than the CEO of a power company for being too focused on fraud and electricity theft.
A spokesperson for Mantashe did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last year de Ruyter and Mantashe had a public spat over South Africa’s transition away from coal and towards cleaner energy sources, about which Mantashe – a former coal mining union leader – has always maintained a degree a scepticism.
Mantashe criticised Eskom for being too “excited” about shutting down coal plants and likened it to committing “economic suicide”, after which de Ruyter said the country faced isolation if it stuck with coal for power generation.
The company’s Chairman Mpho Makwana said he has accepted de Ruyter’s resignation on Dec. 12.
The outgoing CEO said he would stay on to ensure a handover to his successor until his departure on March 31. He added that there were no job offers in the offing.
(Reporting by Kopano Gumbi and Anait Miridzhanian; Editing by Tim Cocks and Mark Potter)
