Andre de Ruyter to appear virtually before Scopa

Former Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter will appear virtually before parliament’s standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) on April 26.

De Ruyter had been scheduled to appear in person but requested a virtual hearing, committee chairperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa told members on Tuesday.

Hlengwa did not indicate whether De Ruyter had given reasons for his request.

“The committee is scheduled to meet on April 26 for an engagement with the former CEO of Eskom,” he said. “He was requested to be physically in Cape Town but I received a request from De Ruyter through his legal representatives to appear virtually. I have acceded to that request.”

Committee members will be required to attend in person due to load-shedding and possible connectivity issues. The meeting is scheduled from 9am to 4pm.

Last month, De Ruyter agreed to appear before Scopa to elaborate on allegations of criminal conduct and corruption at Eskom.

In agreeing to appear before the committee, De Ruyter also indicated he would present a written submission on the issues he raised during an interview with eNCA’s Annika Larsen that was aired in February.

At the time, Hlengwa said the committee believed it was important to engage De Ruyter on the issues he mentioned in line with its constitutional mandate of holding Eskom accountable regarding financial administration, including procurement of goods and services.

ANC MP Bheki Hadebe requested the committee to urgently invite De Ruyter to provide more information.

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