By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan has confirmed that former Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter spoke to him about alleged corruption practices by a senior government official at the ailing power utility.
Gordhan was speaking to Newzroom Afrika on Monday following De Ruyter’s interview last week.
Gordhan said he could not act on speculation or rumour.
“If De Ruyter has the evidence, which I don’t know, he must take the initiative now and do that which is legally required of him… which is go to the law enforcement agency and give the evidence to them. Don’t expect me, on the basis of some understanding and possible suspicion around individuals, to now say who it is.
“I don’t want to be charged with defamation or anything like that. I don’t have the evidence,” he told the broadcaster.
De Ruyter was initially set to leave Eskom at the end of March, but late last Tuesday night it was announced that he was out with immediate effect.
This followed an explosive interview with e.tv’s Annika Larsen, in which De Ruyter said a “senior politician” was involved in corruption at Eskom.
De Ruyter had resigned in December last year, but was persuaded to remain at the crumbling parastatal until 31 March.
Gordhan said that, before De Ruyter’s interview with e.tv, “where he made ideological and all sorts of attacks on different individuals”, he had spoken to De Ruyter and did not know why he made those allegations.
He said there was no “falling out” between them.
He said he visited De Ruyter and his family in the Western Cape “a while after” his “so-called” poisoning, as an “expression of solidarity”.
The minister said he had not seen any toxicology report to confirm the poisoning.
He added that the Eskom board decided to intervene during Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s budget speech.
He said De Ruyter was in the room when the board asked him what he had to say about the state of the power utility, to which he responded: “If you think I have embarrassed Eskom, I am willing to leave.”