The outgoing CEO of state-owned electricity company Eskom, Andre De Ruyter has accused the South African government of attempting to “water down governance” about how $8.5 billion in clean energy financing will be spent.
De Ruyter noted during a 50-minute televised interview that the organization he ran for three years had been infiltrated by violent organized criminals and that it was rife with corruption, to which the police, state security services, local politicians, and the federal government had all turned a blind eye.
Reacting to the accusation, the ruling African National Congress party described De Ruyter as a “naysayer” with a “rightwing ideological posture” adding that his claims about corruption were “unfortunate, irresponsible, and baseless”.
The South African government declared at Cop26 in 2021 that it would get $8.5 billion in loans and grants from wealthy nations to finance initiatives like green hydrogen generation, electric vehicle manufacturing, and transmission lines for electricity.
Much of this money will be spent by Eskom and De Ruyter said the deal was done “by and large at Eskom’s intervention”. The agreement, known as a just energy transition partnership (JETP), formed a model for similar deals with Indonesia and Vietnam.
De Ruyter said that since taking over Eskom in 2019, he has worked to eradicate corruption and begin the transition of South Africa’s energy system from coal to clean energy.
Story was adapted from Climate Home News
