SowetanLive reports that the Black Management Forum (BMF) has called for the suspension of Eskom group chief executive officer Andre de Ruyter, who has been the parastatal's CEO since 15 January 2020.

He is facing allegations of racism, which were levelled against him by suspended chief procurement officer Solly Tshitangano. According to Tshitangano, De Ruyter has been purging black suppliers, which De Ruyter has denied. The BMF, a development and advocacy organisation for black professionals, managers and entrepreneurs, on Tuesday said it was astonished that De Ruyter could continue with his normal responsibilities at the power utility while an inquiry instituted by the state-owned entity's board was underway. The BMF said failure to put De Ruyter on ice contravened numerous governance and labour law principles. It went on to say: "At the time of his appointment, the organisation warned that his employment was a setback in the country’s pursuit of racial transformation in top management positions. The BMF has since received numerous complaints from employees and suppliers of Eskom about the prevailing white supremacy culture that is inculcated by the new leadership, led by the GCEO." When announcing the probe against De Ruyter last week, Eskom said it would be appointing an independent senior counsel to "establish the veracity and the basis to the allegations".

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mpho Sibanyoni at SowetanLive

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