Experts weigh in on Andr de Ruyters bombshell interview: 'He wasn't strategic' While his exit from Eskom was expected following his resignation last year, Andr de Ruyter ensured that his final days would be talked about long after he walked out of the door. But his final bombshell interview may not have the desired effect, experts say. Eskom has been battling to keep the power on with stage 6 loadshedding lasting for days. In a candid conversation with e.tvs Annika Larsen, the former Eskom CEO opened up about the attempt on his life in December as well as the rampant levels of corruption at the power utility. My rough estimate of the amount of money that gets stolen at Eskom every month is in the region of a R1 billion, he said. De Ruyter also alleged that a high-level politician was involved in widescale corruption during his tenure and that a cabinet minister was aware of this. Neither the politician nor the minister was named. The outgoing Eskom boss has been criticised and hailed as a hero for the information he revealed. Ntsikelelo Breakfast, a political analyst from Nelson Mandela University, says hes not surprised by the turn of events. Im not taken aback because its an open secret that Eskom has been used as a centre of accumulation to amass wealth, he tells YOU. Even though he says the ruling party is at the heart of the problems at Eskom, Breakfast questions the timing of De Ruyters claims. It wouldve been better if hed laid bare those accusations when he appeared before parliament because by dragging his feet hes given the ANC ammunition to respond the way they have. Now hes most probably going to be brought back to parliament to answer to cabinet," Breakfast says. "I don't think he was strategic, maybe it was out of frustration." Following his explosive interview, ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula and mineral resources minister Gwede Mantashe labelled his allegations wild and unsubstantiated. The ANC said it would give De Ruyter seven days to report his allegations to law enforcement officials with evidence to back up the claims, or they'd lay criminal charges against him. Political analyst Tessa Dooms from Jasoro Consulting in Johannesburg says the way it's played out isn't clear cut. De Ruyter has had access to parliament many times, which begs the question, Why has none of this ever come out in a parliamentary sitting? she says. But at the same time the ruling party cant blame him for whats happening because they've governed the country for the past 20 years, she says. Theyre not counteracting any of the allegations with facts. So what we have is a political show." One of the biggest issues is that the public doesnt know whats really happening at the power utility and what the real challenges are, she adds. So when the government uses words like sabotage and even De Ruyter used it, it doesnt give us a lot of information about whats really going on and its makes it seem like its something happening outside of Eskom to Eskom as opposed to something in Eskom by its own employees and its service providers." Experts agree that the ANC's response to De Ruyter's interview threatens the progress South Africa has made, yet all hope is not lost. Its an opportunity for us as voters to rethink how we vote because the power lies with us, Breakfast says. We need a lot of civic and political education on the energy discussions so that more people from different parts of society will be involved in keeping people accountable and offering solutions, she says. Though Calib Cassim has been appointed to take over from De Ruyter as interim CEO, experts say its still too early to say how he'll perform. But Im sceptical because Eskom is falling apart, Breakfast says. And Im not sure if hes going to make a change for the better." (Adapted: Sulaiman, 2023 - https://www.news24.com/you/news/local/experts-weigh-in-on-andre-de-ruyters-bombshellinterview-he-wasnt-strategic-20230228) Answer ALL the questions in this section. QUESTION 1 (20 Marks) Based on King IV Report of Corporate Governance (IoDSA, 2016), ethical and effective leadership by the governing body, evaluate the achievement of governance outcomes by Eskom. You are required to summarize your findings into a conclusion presenting an overall result. QUESTION 2 (20 Marks) Okoye (2015) deliberates on the justification of why the sudden interest in risk management by many organisations. Identify and discuss at least three challenges being presented in the case study that have sanctioned the need for a focus in risk, compliance and control structures. Evaluate which challenge appears to be of most concern to Eskom. Justify your selection