Ramaphosa urges De Ruyter to report Eskom allegations to police
President breaks silence on former CEO's explosive claims of crime and corruption at Eskom
28 February 2023 - 22:36
byAmanda Khoza
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Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni and President Cyril Ramaphosa address a joint news conference in Pretoria, February 28 2023. Picture: ALET PRETORIUS/REUTERS
President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged former Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter to go and report his explosive allegations of corruption at Eskom to the police.
“We were most concerned about his utterances and what immediately came to mind to me was that André de Ruyter being the person at the level of group chief executive officer‚ should have gone to any of our institutions with the information that he purports to have because those are institutions that are independent‚ where there won’t be any form of interference‚ diversion‚ blockage or even any form of subterfuge‚” said Ramaphosa.
He was responding to media questions during a state visit by his Ugandan counterpart‚ President Yoweri Museveni‚ at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Tuesday.
The president is the latest to add his voice to the growing calls for De Ruyter to report those he accused of corruption and criminal activities at the power utility Eskom.
In an interview with eNCA, De Ruyter laid bare the inner workings at Eskom and criminality involving senior ANC members.
The ruling party has challenged De Ruyter to provide proof to back up his allegations‚ failing which‚ it says‚ it will take legal action.
Ramaphosa said De Ruyter should report “whatever malfeasance” he knows about. “Those are the types of institutions that he should have trusted‚ as I do. I have a great deal of faith and trust in those institutions and once the complaint is lodged with those‚ they are the ones that have the full are capability and the muscle and the wherewithal to investigate.
“At times when we just impart information to an individual‚ they do not have the wherewithal‚ power or muscle to investigate. So in his case it’s a missed opportunity and I also call on him to come forward to those institutions and report whatever he knows so that the investigative process can commence.
“So that all of us are better informed because‚ without doing so‚ we are then in a world of rumours and hearsay‚ and we start looking at each other with a great deal of suspicion.
“I do firmly believe that anyone who has such information should go to the entities and institutions that deal with these issues and have investigative authority and power.
“And believe you me‚ those institutions are very thorough‚ can be intrusive and can look at everything because that is how they are wired and geared up so that they advance and strengthen our democracy.”
Ramaphosa said a fusion centre has been created to deal with all of these matters.
“Once it gets to the fusion centre there is just no way to escape accountability and that is where he (De Ruyter) should be going. I challenge him to go forward there and lay the information to these institutions so that the country can be at peace and know exactly what he was talking about‚” said Ramaphosa.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Ramaphosa urges De Ruyter to report Eskom allegations to police
President breaks silence on former CEO's explosive claims of crime and corruption at Eskom
President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged former Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter to go and report his explosive allegations of corruption at Eskom to the police.
“We were most concerned about his utterances and what immediately came to mind to me was that André de Ruyter being the person at the level of group chief executive officer‚ should have gone to any of our institutions with the information that he purports to have because those are institutions that are independent‚ where there won’t be any form of interference‚ diversion‚ blockage or even any form of subterfuge‚” said Ramaphosa.
He was responding to media questions during a state visit by his Ugandan counterpart‚ President Yoweri Museveni‚ at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Tuesday.
The president is the latest to add his voice to the growing calls for De Ruyter to report those he accused of corruption and criminal activities at the power utility Eskom.
In an interview with eNCA, De Ruyter laid bare the inner workings at Eskom and criminality involving senior ANC members.
The ruling party has challenged De Ruyter to provide proof to back up his allegations‚ failing which‚ it says‚ it will take legal action.
Ramaphosa said De Ruyter should report “whatever malfeasance” he knows about. “Those are the types of institutions that he should have trusted‚ as I do. I have a great deal of faith and trust in those institutions and once the complaint is lodged with those‚ they are the ones that have the full are capability and the muscle and the wherewithal to investigate.
“At times when we just impart information to an individual‚ they do not have the wherewithal‚ power or muscle to investigate. So in his case it’s a missed opportunity and I also call on him to come forward to those institutions and report whatever he knows so that the investigative process can commence.
“So that all of us are better informed because‚ without doing so‚ we are then in a world of rumours and hearsay‚ and we start looking at each other with a great deal of suspicion.
“I do firmly believe that anyone who has such information should go to the entities and institutions that deal with these issues and have investigative authority and power.
“And believe you me‚ those institutions are very thorough‚ can be intrusive and can look at everything because that is how they are wired and geared up so that they advance and strengthen our democracy.”
Ramaphosa said a fusion centre has been created to deal with all of these matters.
“Once it gets to the fusion centre there is just no way to escape accountability and that is where he (De Ruyter) should be going. I challenge him to go forward there and lay the information to these institutions so that the country can be at peace and know exactly what he was talking about‚” said Ramaphosa.
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