Cape Town – The head of the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), Andy Mothibi, says former Eskom CEO André de Ruyter engaged in maladministration by approving a covert investigation into the power utility’s operations, even if he had good intentions.
Mothibi informed Parliament on Tuesday that De Ruyter should be held accountable for actions that were inconsistent with his role.
Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) is investigating corruption allegations made by De Ruyter in a televised interview and a subsequent book.
The Head of the Special Investigating Unit Andy Mothibi says the report commissioned by Eskom’s former CEO Andre de Ruyter was not authorized by the board. #sabcnews
— SAfm news (@SAfmnews) September 12, 2023
“The former CEO did not have authority to investigate the affairs of Eskom and it does appear that he had a distrust of law enforcement agencies. As the CEO, it was incumbent on him to raise the distrust appropriately… but he commissioned a parallel investigation,” News24 quoted Mothibi.
“Consideration should be given to holding the former CEO to account… It becomes a legal question as he is no longer employed by Eskom, and in this regard, we will consider the options that are available, together with the board, and advise accordingly.”
The SIU found that the secret investigation into Eskom was contracted between Business Leadership South Africa and George Fivaz Forensic and Risk, with De Ruyter not informing the board about it, EWN reported.
The investigation also reportedly implicated politicians in corruption at Eskom, but Mothibi suggested that further investigation was needed to assess the legal risk of these allegations.
“There are names mentioned in the report, but of course, we would like the investigation to unfold before undergoing a legal risk,” he said.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
