Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter said the power utility had recovered more than R1bn from companies that played a role in state capture, notes a TimesLIVE report.

'In exposing the malfeasance that has characterised Eskom for so long, we have been able to recover R1.1bn from McKinsey. We have recovered in excess of R770m from Deloitte consulting,' said De Ruyter at the SA National Editors’ Forum fundraising event on Friday.

He said Eskom was in the process of recovering more than R700m from Trillian and from PwC Consulting.

'We’ve also gone after the individuals who have sought to enrich themselves at the expense of SA, of the taxpayer and of electricity consumers, by launching in conjunction with the SIU a R3.8bn claim against the Guptas, Salim Essa, Mosebenzi Zwane and former Eskom executives, including former CEOs.'

Eskom, he said, had parted ways with no fewer than 30 senior executives and managers.

'We are continuing to investigate and register cases to hold those to account. The sad part is that as a consequence of state capture, such an important institution as Eskom has been hollowed out to a very large extent and it’s not only reflected in the poor maintenance of our power stations, which we are recovering. It’s not only reflected in how we have handled billing of municipalities, but it’s also in systems and processes in our very culture as an organisation.'

Political leadership should also be held to account, De Ruyter said.

Ruyter also said he had not experienced any political interference, particularly from Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan, the TimesLIVE report continues.

'There is no pressure on me to award a contract to a particular vendor. There is no pressure on me to appoint particular people in particular positions and that I think is crucial in restoring trust.'

With Eskom’s gross debt approaching R0.5trn, De Ruyter said the utility posed a systemic risk to the country’s economy.

'We need to find a way of making Eskom financially sustainable and that is a challenge we are engaged with now. Up until 2026, we anticipate that we will be receiving about R121bn. We need to wean ourselves off taxpayers’ support as soon as possible.'

The best way to move away from taxpayers’ support, De Ruyter said, was for Eskom to charge cost-effective tariffs. De Ruyter also announced that Eskom was on Friday on its 40th day of not burning any diesel to support its system.

Full TimesLIVE report