🔒 Boardroom Talk – The upside of filter-free South Africans like André de Ruyter

By Alec Hogg

Former Eskom CEO André de Ruyter reminds me of politician Gayton McKenzie. Both were very obviously passed over when diplomacy genes were handed out. They’re refreshingly filter-free – excruciatingly so for anyone who expects any measure of discretion in their engagements.

When you live in a country like South Africa, where misguided dogma has destroyed so much opportunity, there’s a lot to be said for truth-bomb-droppers like these two. But it sure makes life uncomfortable for those around them.

___STEADY_PAYWALL___

Rob Hersov couldn’t have been charmed when Gayton told BNC#5 delegates (and more than 100k who watched the keynote) he’d turned down the entrepreneur’s offer of R1bn in funding for the PA. Ditto Eskom’s coal-promoting chairman Mpho Makwana, one of many whose credibility is in tatters after De Ruyter’s explosive book. Makwana is also the chairman of Nedbank, SA’s renewables-backing “Green Bank”.  

I spent most of yesterday putting on a video package of my “email interview” with De Ruyter. It’s now up on BizNews – click here. Unfortunately, the closest AI voice I could find for him was ‘American Joey’ from Amazon Web Services. So be prepared to hear the boy from Bronkhostrpruit like you’d never imagined possible.

Sterkte

Alec


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