TimesLive reports that Eskom CEO André de Ruyter has hit back at “armchair critics” calling for him to resign as load-shedding continues, saying he will only do so if the utility's board asked him to.

Over the past few weeks, the head of the embattled state-owned power utility has been criticised for Eskom’s management and the constant blackouts. By 10 May, Eskom had implemented 32 days of load-shedding in 2022 compared with 26 days over the same period in 2021. Speaking on eNCA, De Ruyter said he would not be blamed for a “ship that’s been mismanaged over the past 15 years” and “hollowed out by corruption”. He added: “I know there are many armchair critics who delight in being very clever and style themselves as energy experts but, with respect, I don’t think they have the full appreciation of the challenge the job entails.” De Ruyter also said he understood the frustration of many over load-shedding. In April, Eskom board member Busisiwe Mavuso defended De Ruyter during a parliamentary briefing, saying he and the board would not be the “fall guy” for the mess the power utility was experiencing. She asserted that it was the ANC-led government’s failures that had caused damage at Eskom over the years.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Unathis Nkanjeni at BusinessLive

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