Eskom CEO Andre De Ruyter Says He’s Tired of Hearing Loadshedding Jokes, Slams Trolls and “Armchair Critics”
- Eskom CEO Andre De Ruyter said he is tired of hearing about loadshedding jokes and slammed “armchair critics”
- De Ruyter said the power utility was completely hollowed out by corruption and was badly neglected and mistreated
- The CEO added that if he felt that he was not making a dent in his position, he would “merrily” step down
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JOHANNESBURG - The CEO of Eskom Andre De Ruyter slammed trolls and “armchair critics” and said the power utility has been mismanaged over the past 15 years.
He said South Africans need to accept the reality that Eskom was badly neglected and mistreated to the point of almost collapse.
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De Ruyter said the organisation was completely hollowed out by corruption. During an interview with eNCA, the CEO said:
“There are many armchair critics who delight in being very clever and style themselves as energy experts, but, with respect, I don’t think they have the full appreciation of the challenge the job entails.”
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He added that he is tried of hearing about loadshedding jokes. When questioned about people calling for his resignation, De Ruyter said if he felt that he was not making a dent in his position, he would “merrily” step down or if someone else with the credentials could do a better job and offer their assistance immediately.
He received harsh criticisms regarding Eskom's management and the constant blackouts recently, TimesLIVE reported.
SA divided
Social media users had mixed reactions to De Ruyter’s comments with some agreeing and others calling for him to resign:
@LyndaJane8 said:
“He is 100% right and all those throwing stones should think of who caused the damage over the past 27 years and it wasn’t De Ruyter and his team.”
@Gawdly10 wrote:
“You were brought to Eskom to change things around. If you can't then resign. Enough with the excuses.”
@AkoojeeF posted:
“He is 100% correct. And we should be great full to him. It’s a total nightmare trying to fix someone else’s mess. The whole country should be behind you. Keep up the good work. You have achieved with plenty of others have failed.”
Robert Shivambu commented:
“He must resign if he is tired of being criticized for loadshedding. We pay his salary and he must never call us armchair critics again.”
Sipho Ndlovu stated:
“I agree to let the man fix the rot for 30 years of looting and or mismanagement he doesn't have a magic wand for 2 years on the job!”
Michelé Anne Holland Bentley added:
“And we’re tired of load shedding. End the load shedding, and the jokes will stop. While De Ruyter may not have caused the current debacle that is Eskom, he took the job and made the promises to get the utility back on track.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa says Stage 8 loadshedding is unlikely, Eskom deals with another sabotage case
In a related matter, Briefly News also reported President Cyril Ramaphosa believes it is unlikely that Stage 8 loadshedding will be implemented despite Eskom dealing with another case of sabotage. Discussing the issues around the power utility, Ramaphosa said sabotage is a challenge that must be dealt with. He said Eskom has been having a recurring problem with keeping the electricity on. Ramaphosa said the power utility is forced to deal with maintenances and breakages.
The president said that Eskom’s management is doing everything possible to ensure the utility is maintained. He told eNCA that if there are breakdowns they are repaired swiftly. Ramaphosa said the government is still hopeful that Eskom’s management has the situation under control.
Source: Briefly News
