In a statement made on Wednesday, the Eskom board has reaffirmed that former Eskom CEO André de Ruyter did not provide them with specific information regarding the intelligence investigation he had initiated to uncover corruption and fraud within the organisation.
The Eskom board members further clarified that De Ruyter did not deliver the intelligence report compiled by the firm led by former apartheid police commissioner George Fivaz.
These revelations surfaced during the ongoing inquiry conducted by the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) into the allegations raised by De Ruyter in a media interview back in February.
Acting Eskom board chairperson Claudelle von Eck acknowledged that De Ruyter had mentioned his involvement in an investigation. However, she emphasized that the details provided by De Ruyter were scarce and did not indicate a conclusive investigation or the existence of a report.
“The reality is that even if the report was there, we were not informed of the report. The manner in which Mr De Ruyter gave us the information about the investigation was very, very, very scanty and the way he framed it, I cannot see how anybody could have come to the conclusion, who was sitting in the room, that it was a concluded investigation and there was report,” she said.
When questioned about the specifics of De Ruyter’s comments regarding the investigation, Von Eck clarified that he merely mentioned being occupied with an ongoing investigation.
“There was nothing in what he said that gave an indication that it was an intelligence operation or the full scope of what he was busy with.
“There was not enough information given to us (Eskom board members) for us at that point in time to interrogate further,” she said, adding that there were questions when he mentioned “we” as the people conducting the investigation, and stated “I” in response.
ANC MP Bheki Hadebe observed that the board had an opportunity to engage with De Ruyter regarding the content of his interview. Hadebe inquired whether they had requested any records or information to be handed over. Von Eck responded by stating that they had decided to engage a legal expert to review all relevant materials.
Fathima Gany, another Eskom board member, disclosed that De Ruyter had been instructed to surrender all documents and assets belonging to the company.
“We can confirm that the report was not handed over,” Gany confirmed.