After making serious allegations of fraud and corruption involving top politicians during an interview last month, former Eskom CEO André de Ruyter has disappeared.
Also read: ANC threatens legal action against De Ruyter for incendiary claims
Speaking to ENCA’s Annika Larsen, shortly after his resignation, the former CEO said that there was widespread wrongdoing at the power utility involving high ranking politicians.
No names were provided but De Ruyter insinuated that the ruling party and ministers were aware of the corruption and fraud but had failed to address the problem.
He added that Eskom was a feeding trough for the ruling party and that the ANC was stuck in embarrassingly outdated communist ideologies.
It later emerged that two ministers were implicated in a corruption investigation at Eskom and had been reported to Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan.
Subsequent to the interview, the outgoing CEO faced severe criticism, with many politicians, government officials and the Eskom board calling on him to divulge everything that he knew.
Last month, the ANC gave him a week to lay criminal charges, with verifiable details about his serious allegations.
Speaking to the Daily Investor, ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri stated that De Ruyter was obliged to do so, failing which would result in the ANC laying charges against him.
In a letter of demand issued on 28 February 2023, the ruling party called on De Ruyter and the energy utility to issue a retraction and an apology.
Recently, ANC attorney Krish Naidoo said that the party was preparing to sue De Ruyter for defamation.
“We are finalising summons. The ANC just has to settle on a quantum, so we are busy working on that now,” he told the Mail & Guardian.
However, before it can sue De Ruyter for defamation, the ANC needs to find him in order to deliver the summons.
Sunday World reports that the summons prepared by the ANC’s lawyers continues to gather dust as the battle to get it to De Ruyter is proving more difficult than expected.
ANC secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula, is pressuring Naidoo to take the matter further.
“We cannot find De Ruyter to serve him with the summons. We do not know where he is,” Naidoo told Sunday World.
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Picture: @Our_DA / Twitter