MAILBOX: Forget the calls for De Ruyter’s head, focus on the real issues at Eskom
Unions and business groups have recently called on Eskom CEO André de Ruyter to fall on his sword owing to the current load shedding, with 2021 having been the worst year for blackouts on record. De Ruyter has responded saying he will not resign of his own accord because there's no use putting a new jockey on a dead horse. BizNews received the following correspondence from community member Alfons Mauchle, managing director at Micron Precision Tools (Pty) Ltd, in which he filtered through the noise surrounding the calls for De Ruyter's head and raised critical points in respect of the real issues that he believes need to be addressed at Eskom. – Nadya Swart
By Alfons Mauchle
I am astounded by the perpetual calls for the head of Eskom. Many media and the BBC are calling for the axing of De Ruyter.
I'd like to see the media dig a little deeper. We have already had some noise as to where the problems are! Incompetence, negligence and just pure plain laziness!
These are the items I would like to see finalised:
- What policies have the ANC lumbered the poor CEO with: cadre deployment, BBBEE, black business preferences, supply chain madness?
- Why is there such poor legal process activity, i.e. why is Koko still on the streets, has Molefe paid back the pension?
- Why is there such poor discipline when employees don't do their job? The HR department keeps them on forever on suspension with full pay. The employees are playing the system introduced by the ANC and getting away with billions.
- Who are the power station CEOs? Let's put them in the public domain. Why are they there and what are each of their records? What is the maintenance schedule of each power station?
- André de Ruyter has faced death threats. What has SAPS done about these?
- As I have experienced from a German company with 80,000 employees, it can take 10 weeks to get an order (want the name – call me). Similarly, where are the bottleneck breakers in Eskom? (I would be good at that. Have done it so often).
Very often, corporate admin is the culprit because they have no strategic or technical understanding and the technical teams suffer.
7. When will the CEO be able to operate without all the hamstrings, from the minister down to lackeys who think they are the nation's gift to destruction. Just look at the Department of Labour, a totally impractical and useless ministry.
I think these points are more valid than all the rubbish being touted in much of the media.
Do something positive! I'll even help! Let's start with the technical teams!
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