TimesLive reports that it was revealed by Eskom CEO André de Ruyter on Thursday that one of the power utility’s coal-fired power station managers wears a bulletproof vest and has two bodyguards after exposing corruption at the plant.

“That’s not an ideal management situation,” De Ruyter said of the security measures in place at the plant, just one of many affected by criminality. He did not name the manager but lauded him for making strides against a “hotbed of corruption”. Speaking at an Exporters Western Cape networking event in Cape Town, De Ruyter outlined the huge challenge of combating internal crime syndicates contributing to the country's power crisis. “Coal corruption is endemic in our supply chains. It is a battle, it is really tricky,” he said. De Ruyter went on to comment: “There is an ecosystem in which we operate. A fish cannot swim in a toxic stream — unless we clean up the stream we cannot hope to fix Eskom.” Despite crime and other challenges, De Ruyter said he believed SA would survive its power crisis and possibly benefit from it in the form of business opportunities and a more competitive economy.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Bobby Jordan at TimesLive

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page