From the archives: Late Eskom exec Mark van der Riet – how State Capture turned murderous

First published on 8 January 2019

My first exposure to the appalling story of Eskom scientist Mark van der Riet came in the most unlikely of places – the regular Tuesday night gathering of Methodists at the home of my parents-in-law. This usually jolly occasion turned sombre as a friend of Van der Riet's explained how the man charged with checking Eskom's coal quality had been disciplined and suspended from duty after blowing the whistle on Gupta profit gouging. The story, already disgusting, turned even more rotten as you'll read from this detailed account of the now late Van der Riet by another of the long time friends of this deeply religious man. A public servant man whose problems, ironically, flowed directly from the intervention at Eskom by then deputy now SA president Cyril Ramaphosa, who has been conspicuously silent on the scandal. Another irony is how the Guptas channelled a staggering $28m of their plunder to build a temple to Lord Shiva in their Indian hometown, perhaps to elicit absolution for their crimes against South Africa. As you'll read, what happened to Van der Riet is sickening. Even worse, though, has been the lack of any acknowledgement of his courage or the ultimate price he paid for membership of SA's Thuma Mina campaign long before it became fashionable. – Alec Hogg

___STEADY_PAYWALL___