Eskom CEO Andre De Ruyter Suspicious of 3 Units Breaking Down at the Same Time, SA Says Arrests Should Be Made
- Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter is of the opinion that some of the breakdowns at power stations could be deliberately caused
- While he says not all breakdowns are caused by malicious acts, de Ruyter says some of the damage is caused by the incompetence of the Eskom team
- South Africans feel that if Eskom is being sabotaged then people need to be arrested and charged for committing acts of terrorism
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JOHANNESBURG - Some of the troubles at South Africa's state-owned power utility are coming from the inside according to Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter.
De Ruyter says some of the breakdowns that have been happening at power stations seem suspicious and an investigation has ensued. He made this claim during an online media briefing with reporters.
Source: Getty Images
De Ruyter added that in some cases, breakdowns were not caused by malicious behaviour but were the result of incompetence from the staff, according to MyBroadband.
The country is currently undergoing Stage 2 of rolling blackouts since Wednesday 17 November as a result of three units at Matimba power station going down at the same time, explained de Ruyter.
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He stated that maintenance was taking place at Matimba power station when an extension cord was dropped onto the unit 2 transformer. This caused a chain reaction that lead to units 1, 2 and 3 tripping.
While there might not be any evidence at the moment indicating that the breakdown at Matimba power station was caused by sabotage, de Ruyter said that additional security has been deployed, according to a report by TimesLIVE.
Ruark William Jewell said:
"Sabotaging critical infrastructure sounds like terrorism as per POCDATARA and maybe even treason if the intent is to destabilise the government (although they do that themselves). Where are the arrests? None? Go figure"
Johan Brittz said:
"If you can't fire the corrupt staff, get me in and I will do it for you."
Mzukisi Wo'Dlangamandla Wakwa Tolo said:
"Resultants of cadre deployment . People should be hired based on qualifications, experience and skills not because they're affiliated with the governing party."
Stephen Edward Hutchings said:
"Corrupt employees and incompetent employees are different sides of the same coin. A judicial commission of enquiry needs to be established. Mr De. Ruyter cannot possibly fix the problem on his own."
Steven Makhubo said:
"How I'm reading this is some big shots are paying employees on the floor to sabotage systems so that they can benefit from never-ending tenders."
Freedom Front Plus blames BEE for Eskom woes
Briefly News previously reported that the Freedom Front Plus (FF+) have publicly declared their criticism of Black Economic Empowerment (BEE).
They have also called Affirmative Action (AA) practices at Eskom unacceptable. BEE, AA, and supplying neighbouring countries with electricity are the top problems facing Eskom, according to the FF+.
“A further detrimental consequence of BEE is the appointment of contractors whose only goal is self-enrichment,” the party said.
According to MyBroadband, the FF+ believe that BEE and AA are used as methods of covering up corruption in the Eskom leadership structure, but are also contributing to its downfall. One way this is happening is that Eskom is paying large amounts of money for simple items due to BEE procurement.
Source: Briefly News
