CEO of South Africa's state power company Eskom Andre de Ruyter opted to leave his position because it is a “tough job,” alleged South African President Cyril Ramaphosa during a press event in Johannesburg.
President Ramaphosa underlined that his government has a coordinated plan to address the national power shortages, urging ministers to come up with a uniform approach to the issue. However, he provided no details on when a new CEO will be appointed or when the blackouts will be reduced.
The day before the announcement of his departure, De Ruyter was reported to have escaped an assassination attempt. He claimed that he drank a cup of coffee that was spiked with cyanide at his Johannesburg office on December 13.
South Africa is currently experiencing a severe energy crisis. The country has been suffering from electricity shortages for almost 15 years, but power cuts reached unprecedented levels in recent months. The utility firm Eskom implements nationwide power outages in order to reduce pressure on the grid following the breakdown of its old coal-powered plants.
Blackouts are also attributed to sabotage and criminality within the company, according to South African officials. The firm's management was subjected to criticism from the government, as well as the general public. The chairman of the new board of directors at Eskom, Mpho Makwana, is expected to review the performance of the departing CEO and the rest of the company's management.
Last month, Eskom issued a warning to citizens saying they should prepare for a protracted electrical crisis as it struggles to power the continent's most industrialized economy. According to the warning, the first three months of 2023 will be challenging.
Earlier, presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya stated that the government is working on a way to end power outages, referring to such measures as improving the performance of the power stations and adding new generation capacity to the grid.