André De Ruyter, Matshela Koko and 4 Others Who Make Up the Ever-Growing List of Former Eskom CEOs

The barely functioning power monopoly Eskom will forever have a place in South Africa's hall of infamy for bringing the country 16 years of crippling rolling blackouts. With ex-Eskom CEO André de Ruyter firmly out the door, the ailing power utility has another claim to fame: bringing SA the most controversial CEOs the country has ever seen.

In honour of the latest CEO's explosive exit, Briefly News has compiled a list of the top guns who have come and gone and left the power utility a little worse for wear.

1. André de Ruyter was one of the most critical and outspoken CEOs Eskom has ever had

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André de Ruyter has been topping trending lists after a spectacular exit from struggling power utility Eskom.

He was appointed CEO in December 2019 and took over leadership of the embattled power utility on 15 January 2020. However, two years later in December 2022, De Ruyter tendered his resignation as Eskom CEO. This came after being subjected to consistent public attacks from Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Manstashe.

De Ruyter also did not receive any shielding or support from President Cyril Ramaphosa or Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan, which made it hard for him to manage the power utility effectively, News24 reported.

Eskom's latest ex-CEO was arguably the most vocal in the power utility's history and made a name for himself by calling out corruption and shedding light on the inner workings of the power utility.

De Ruyter will probably be most remembered for his explosive interview with eNCA. He accused the ANC and an unnamed senior government minister of turning a blind eye to widespread corruption and looting at the power utility, TimesLIVE reported.

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The interview landed De Ruyter in hot water, leading to his early departure from the power utility.

The Eskom board "released" De Ruyter from serving out his notice on Wednesday evening, 23 February, two days after the explosive and controversial interview, Mail & Guardian reported.

2. Sean Maritz landed in hot water for hiring his friend and giving them a bloated salary

Sean Maritz may not be a name South Africans are familiar with, but Maritz was acting CEO of Eskom between October 2017 and January 2018.

Though Maritz was only at the helm of the power utility for four months, the former acting CEO still managed to get himself in trouble.

Soon after being appointed, reports started circulating that Maritz hired a friend and fellow member of his church without declaring the relationship to Eskom. Maritz's friend was also given an inflated salary of R100 000 a month, fin24 reported.

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The hiring scandal is only the tip of the iceberg regarding Maritz's misdeeds. In January 2018, reports started circulating that Maritz signed off on a R400 million payment from the power utility to a bank account in Hong Kong against legal advice.

The payment was allegedly made to secure a R25 billion loan from China's Hurong Energy Africa to build and refurbish power stations.

Maritz also landed in hot water for allegedly signing a letter to consultancy firm Mckinsey claiming that its R1 billion contract with the power utility was lawful when it wasn't, EWN reported.

Maritz was later suspended but resigned before disciplinary hearing proceedings could be instituted against him.

3. Matshela Koko was implicated in facilitating state capture at Eskom

Matshela Koko is a man that needs no introduction. Koko became a household name after being implicated in widespread corruption, fraud and money laundering at the power utility.

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During his one-year and five-month tenure as CEO of the power utility, Koko was implicated in several corruption scandals.

Koko was accused of manipulating the tender process and gross nepotism after a R1 billion contract was awarded to Impulse International, a company linked to his stepdaughter, Koketso Choma.

Koko was suspended but he was cleared of all wrongdoing following a disciplinary hearing.

However, his problems were not over because fresh allegations about gross negligence and serious misconduct were made.

According to BusinessLIVE, after being implicated in state capture, Koko and his family members were arrested for fraud, corruption and money laundering.

The charges arose from alleged irregular contracts awarded for the construction of the Kusile Power Station valued at over R2 billion.

4. Brian Molefe was unlawfully awarded a R30 million pension

Brian Molefe served as Eskom's CEO between April 2015 and November 2016. Like Koko, Molefe is no stranger to corruption scandals and was also implicated in former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela's State Capture Report.

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Though the alleged corruption Molefe is most infamous for stems from his conduct at Transnet, the former Eskom CEO was also accused of helping the Guptas loot Eskom through their company, Trillion, Daily Maverick reported.

Following allegations of corruption in the state capture report, Molefe chose to resign in the interest of "good corporate governance".

As part of his resignation agreement, the former CEO was awarded a R30 million pension after only being at the helm of Eskom for one year and seven months.

The obscene amount of the pension payout landed both Eskom and Molefe in hot water and the North Gauteng High Court ended up ruling that the payout was unjust.

Eskom was ordered to recover the R30 million payout from Molefe.

Despite the many corruption scandals against him, the former Eskom CEO is credited for bringing loadshedding to an end during his time as the head of the power utility, News24 reported.

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5. Collin Matjila infamously cut corners for Gupta-linked businesses

Collin Matjila is another name that South Africans are possibly not familiar with, but his name is closely tied to Gupta-related corruption.

Matjila was acting CEO of Eskom between April 2014 and September 2014.

Though his time as CEO was relatively short, reports started circulating in June 2017 that Matjila shared a relationship with the Gutpas before he was appointed.

As CEO, Matjila allegedly went against legal advice and approved a three-year business breakfast sponsorship deal with the Gupta-owned newspaper, New Age.

Matjila also allegedly often broke procurement procedures to favour Gupta-linked businesses.

Former Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter claims power utility loses R1bn a month to corruption: “No lies detected”

In a related story, Briefly News reported that former Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter has revealed that the power utility allegedly loses over R1 billion to theft.

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During an explosive television interview, De Ruyter suggested that those affiliated with the African National Congress are responsible for the loss of revenue. He claimed a Cabinet minister told him to "allow some people to eat" for the greater good.

The former CEO said while power cuts continue, he managed to reduce corruption, move toward clean energy and split the utility into transmission, distribution and generation units. He warned that loadshedding might worsen, TimesLIVE reported.

Source: Briefly News