Ramaphosa refuses to tackle Eskom corruption in his cabinet

19 April 2023

A reply to a DA parliamentary question posed to President Cyril Ramaphosa has revealed that the President has instituted no investigative action into a series of very serious allegations made by former Eskom CEO, André De Ruyter, that two members of South Africa’s national cabinet are implicated in rampant corruption and organised crime at the state power utility.

In true Ramaphosa fashion, the President has shirked responsibility entirely by sitting on his hands and doing nothing. Instead, President Ramaphosa has not only ignored the public’s plea to rid Eskom of corruption and fix the load shedding disaster, but also proven to the entire country that despite his renewed mandate at the ANC’s National Conference in December last year, he is unable to clean up and clean out his party and his government, both of which continue to inflict increasing misery and suffering on our country and its people.

South Africans expect their President to take such allegations seriously, immediately suspend any of the cabinet ministers facing such allegations, and launch an investigations to get to the bottom of the matter. Instead, it is business-as-usual for President Ramaphosa.

This reply comes at a very crucial time given that André De Ruyter is due to appear before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) in the National Assembly next week, where his allegations will be tested and unpacked. This is the only form of accountability that Parliament will have on the matter, given that the new Minister of Electricity, along with many other state functions, have been centralised into the Presidency for which there is no parliamentary committee and thus no accountability to the Public.

The DA looks forward to the sitting of SCOPA next week where we will have to do the job of the President once more in rooting out the rampant and widespread corruption in Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet which has plunged our country into darkness and disaster. We will monitor the proceedings of this committee closely, and take any action necessary to get to the bottom of this sordid matter upon which the ANC, and President Ramaphosa, refuse to act.

Issued by Siviwe Gwarube, Chief Whip of the Official Opposition, 19 April 2023