Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd.’s former Chief Executive Officer Andre de Ruyter has agreed to appear before lawmakers to provide information on corruption at the company, according to South Africa’s parliament.
(Bloomberg) — Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd.’s former Chief Executive Officer Andre de Ruyter has agreed to appear before lawmakers to provide information on corruption at the company, according to South Africa’s parliament.
De Ruyter responded to an urgent invite from the Standing Committee on Public Accounts to give more detail around the allegations that connected top government officials to graft that he made in a television interview last month. He then exited the post weeks before the end of his notice period after he resigned in December.
The former CEO will respond in writing on the issues he’s raised and “is agreeable to appearing” before the committee at a date to be determined, it said.
Concern Over Koeberg Delay (March 29, 11:31 p.m.)
A delay in completing maintenance at Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd.’s sole nuclear power plant is worrying as South Africa heads into winter, when electricity demand increases, according to Alan Winde, premier of the Western Cape province.
Work on the Koeberg plant north of Cape Town has stalled and is running weeks late, adding to energy shortages that have led to daily power cuts to protect the system from a complete blackout. “We can’t be behind right now,” Winde said. “We’ve got to be on time, on budget.”
The premier met last weekend with South African Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, who mentioned that a foreign investor has expressed interest in establishing a 3,000-megawatt gas-fired plant in the Western Cape. The proposal is still at an early stage and, if it goes ahead, fuel could possibly be brought to the site via a pipeline from Saldanha Bay, 155 kilometers (97 miles) north of Cape Town, Winde said in a telephone interview.
Eskom Employee Kidnapped, Assaulted (March 29, 10:20 a.m.)
Seven assailants fired multiple shots at an Eskom employee’s car on March 16 and then abducted him, the utility said. The employee was later released south of Johannesburg and admitted to the hospital for treatment. The police are investigating the incident.
Juwi to Start Developing 1GW of South Africa Projects in 2023 (March 29, 9 a.m.)
Juwi GmbH, a German renewable energy plant developer, plans to start constructing 1,000 megawatts of wind, solar and so-called hybrid power plants in South Africa this year.
The projects add to more than 1,500 megawatts of wind power, 2,000 megawatts of solar energy and 500 megawatts of hybrid plants the unit of MVV Energie AG is developing in the country, Juwi said in a statement.
Read: Juwi to Start Developing 1GW of South Africa Projects in 2023
Labor Union Disputes Minister’s Claims on Graft (March 27, 2:47 p.m.)
The biggest labor union at Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. disputed a claim by Ramokgopa that the utility’s under-performance isn’t related to widespread graft.
“We are categorically and emphatically disagreeing with the minister’s version that corruption in Eskom does not play any role” in persistent electricity shortages, the National Union of Mineworkers, said in a statement.
The union alleged that plant breakdowns can be attributed to the use of low-quality parts that are being purchased at inflated prices with the help of some Eskom employees.
–With assistance from Antony Sguazzin.
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