CEOs of entities such as Eskom should not be involved in ‘open political debates or assertions’, minister tells MPs
Public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan. Picture: SIPHIWE SIBEKO/REUTERS
It is the responsibility of CEOs of all entities to “keep their focus on the job at hand and make sure that is done as proficiently as possible”, the minister said. It’s rather unfortunate that an important fight ... in respect of [ridding] our institutions of corruption, is now caught up in an unnecessary controversy, it would seem.De Ruyter’s comments were “unfortunate”, Gordhan said. “I think it’s a well-known and undeniable fact that corruption has been a feature both in Eskom and many other entities across government and, of course, the private sector.
“In this context, obviously under the new board that was appointed in 2018 by the government, then chaired by the late Jabu Mabuza, you will recall he was also the acting CEO for a while, and a lot of good work was initiated to push back on and recover funds which were lost as a result of corruption during the state capture era.
“One thing we have got to do is to differentiate between suspicion or rumour and actual evidence, and if there is actual evidence, which is what the police try to establish when investigating with the Hawks and the SIU [Special Investigating Unit], NPA [National Prosecuting Authority], only then can law enforcement authorities be made aware of that evidence so they can act on it.”
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