For Eskom’s André de Ruyter, is it about country duty or just clearing a corporate reputation?

[View in browser]( [Mail & Guardian]( M&G Mornings | Fri 19 May   [ron_derby] I haven’t yet read André de Ruyter’s book on his three years at the helm of Eskom, but I have to wonder whether its release just a few months after his release from duties is for the benefit of his country. I now have some time to get into the book and make that call since its official release this past weekend. But it just seems too soon, doesn’t it. Maybe I’m being finicky. Many chief executives leave unhappy about their tenure, their boards and their shareholders, but not many resort to a tell-all, merely months later. So this book simply has to be for the greater good. If it isn’t, the book is merely an attempt to clear his corporate reputation and make sure we all understand the conditions under which he worked at Eskom’s Megawatt Park that made it impossible for him to turn around its operational performance. Because, let’s be honest, while he may have bravely answered the call to serve his country in taking the job in the first place, operationally Eskom has not improved or at the very least stabilised. But, let me read the book, the insider’s tale of corruption, the overt political influence that has fed into the rot of the 100-year-old operation. Let’s hope it educates us about our ills, and why overcoming the Eskom problem is a very far and distant prospect. Ron Derby | Editor-in-Chief [@Ronderby]( [Nampak Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Andre de Ruyter Interview]( Premium [De Ruyter’s truth is stranger than fiction]( Instead of meeting engineers, the former Eskom chief executive was busy with his ghostwriters This article is only available to subscribers. [View subscription options]( If you are already a subscriber, login here. [// Read more]( Articles labelled as Premium are only available to subscribers. [CLICK HERE]( to subscribe Already a subscriber? [SIGN IN HERE]( [Screenshot 2023-05-18 at 09.14.37]( Premium [EFF’s embracing of African monarchies is not socialist or revolutionary]( The Economic Freedom Fighters has switched from the teachings of Fanon and Lenin to the interests of chiefs and kings [// Read more]( ['It’s not just a question of systems]( Premium [Court hurdles ahead for Senzo Mchunu’s super water entity]( Former board members wanting to be reinstated for a second time are challenging the water and sanitation minister [// Read more]( Recommended Reads [Gauteng MEC Tasneem Motara ordered to reinstate development agency’s board]( In a ruling, the Pretoria high court said there were reasons to believe that the MEC had an ulterior motive when she dissolved the board [// Read more]( [Self-inflicted pain makes SA rand a sore thumb]( The currency, which is usually a bellwether for other emerging markets, has diverged from global trends – thanks in large part to the energy crisis [// Read more]( [‘Trust was broken’: Eskom chair on André de Ruyter’s book]( Mpho Makwana has accused the former chief executive of breaching confidentiality clauses in his contract of employment [// Read more]( Premium [Activists reject Lamola’s call to withdraw rape law challenge]( They argue that the justice minister has misunderstood the challenge to the defence of mistaken belief in consent and the constitutional implications of criminalising negligence This article is only available to subscribers. [View subscription options]( If you are already a subscriber, login here. [// Read more]( [‘A very, very tight winter’ ahead with Eskom short of 3 000 megawatts]( In the utility’s worst-case scenario, the country could experience stage eight load-shedding during the icy winter months [// Read more]( Pic of the day [eskom loadshed] The darkness continues: A power outage in Hout Bay in the Western Cape. (Dwayne Senior/Bloomberg via Getty Images) [Share]( [Share]( [Tweet]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Forward]( This email was sent to {EMAIL} [why did I get this?]( [unsubscribe from this list]( [update subscription preferences]( Mail & Guardian Media LTD · 25 Owl St · Braamfontein · Johannesburg, Gauteng 2001 · South Africa