Eskom’s recently ousted chief executive, Andre de Ruyter, has revealed the extent of the turmoil in an answering affidavit.
The sworn affidavit, which has been filed in a load shedding court case, shares insight into the turmoil at the state owned power entity.
De Ruyter’s affidavit was a response on Eskom’s behalf to court action by political parties ActionSA, UDM and 17 others’.
ActionSA said De Ruyter’s answering affidavit proved without any doubt, “that the decisions of the ANC-led government, as far back as 1998, are directly to blame for the state of load shedding in which South Africa currently finds itself”.
The court case by UDM, ActionSA and 17 others seeks to declare the ANC-led government’s response to load shedding as unconstitutional and breaching a number of fundamental human rights.
They are also seeking to ask that certain sectors such as safety and healthcare be exempted from load-shedding. The case is set to be heard on 20 March 2023 in the Gauteng High court.
In his answering affidavit, De Ruyter indicated that Eskom lost its ability to invest in new electricity generation in the 1990s, and has since requested approval from the state to build new generating capacity.
De Ruyter’s affidavit reads in part: “With the building of new power stations delayed for over a decade, Eskom has had to run its ageing coal fleet at far higher usage levels than accepted international industry practice and defer planned maintenance.”
You can read the affidavit here: