Lights off, no-one home: Eskom CEO ‘not in SA’ – despite load shedding crisis

In times of crisis, you need a present leadership to help steer you through the toughest of times. However, as South Africa continues to grapple with Stage 4 load shedding, Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter is thousands of miles away from home – although the utility argues its for a good cause.

Where is Andre de Ruyter?

De Ruyter, who has spent the last few years working ‘the impossible job’, is currently in Washington DC. His trip Stateside might not sit well with a few, but the top executive is said to be locked in talks with the World Bank.

It is hoped that de Ruyter can use this trip to secure a route away from coal for Eskom, in favour of greener energy production methods. During an emergency briefing on Wednesday, fellow board members vouched for the whereabouts of the Eskom CEO, insisting that the visit overseas is ‘strictly for business’.

#Loadshedding Asked about the CEO’s whereabouts,
Oberholzer says André de Ruyter is out of the country.

He is in Washington on a work trip, having discussions with the World Bank and other stakeholders on the future plans to move the utility away from coal.

— Jacaranda News (@JacaNews) March 9, 2022

Problems piling up for Eskom CEO

The emergency press conference certainly proved to be a lively one, too. It was revealed by Eskom’s top brass that STAGE 6 cuts may be brought in before the end of the week, if dam levels and diesel capacity continues to deplete. The firm is already guzzling through its emergency fuel reserves.

On top of that, Eskom generation group executive Phillip Dukashe also suggested that the wet weather in Gauteng *could* cause another ‘wet coal’ crisis. When the substance takes on moisture, it creates an absolute nightmare for electricity production units – and the last fiasco of its kind put SA into Stage 6 outages, back in 2019.

• It’s fair to say Mr. de Ruyter has A LOT on his plate once he’s back on home soil…