Truth to Power: My Three Years Inside Eskom

Description

When André de Ruyter took over as Eskom CEO in January 2020, he quickly realised why it was considered the toughest job in South Africa. Aside from neglected equipment, ageing power stations and an eroded skills base, he discovered that Eskom was crippled by corruption on a staggering scale. Fake fuel oil deliveries at just one power station cost Eskom R100 million per month; kneepads retailing for R150 a pair were purchased for R80 000; billions of rands of equipment supposedly housed in the company’s storerooms was missing. Faced with police inaction, he was compelled to plunge into a world that was foreign to him – a world of spies and safe houses, of bulletproof vests and bodyguards. In Truth to Power, De Ruyter tells the behind-the-scenes story of how he launched a private investigation that exposed at least four criminal cartels feeding off Eskom. While fighting this scourge, he had to deal with political interference, absurd regulations, non-paying municipalities, unfounded accusations of racism, wildcat strikes, sabotage and a poisoning attempt. De Ruyter takes the reader inside the boardrooms and government meetings where South Africa’s future is shaped, with ministers often pulling in conflicting directions. He explains how renewable energy is the cheapest and quickest solution to our power crisis, in spite of fierce opposition from vested coal interests. De Ruyter candidly reflects on his three years at the power utility, his successes and failures, his reasons for leaving and his hopes for the future. As someone who worked at the highest levels of the state but is not beholden to the ruling party, he is uniquely placed to speak truth to power. Title Copyright Dedication Contents Abbreviations 1. The Guv’nor plants the seed 2. The value of an old pair of boots 3. A fool rushes in 4. crisis sets the stage 5. The trophy of shame 6. ‘You guys are going to kill more people’ 7. ‘Leaders eat last’ 8. Frau Merkel nails it 9. Ambushed by one of our own 10. The land of Porsches and Louis Vuittons 11. Milked by the middlemen 12. One call opens a Pandora’s box 13. The hidden tenderpreneur tax 14. President on the line 15. Lighting a billion rands on fire 16. From CEO to spymaster 17. The green gospel 18. The price of power 19. We are f***ed. Maybe. 20. Corruption: the gift that keeps on giving 21. Eskom, guard thyself 22. Week from hell 23. A day in the life of an Eskom CEO 24. Cutting the Gwedian knot 25. The man in the arena 26. No time for smiling 27. The sword falls 28. The end of days 29. The poisoned chalice 30. Fallout 31. Looking at the scoreboard