No sooner had the ink dried on ousted Eskom CEO’s bombshell book and while thousands of copies of Truth to Power were being stacked on book shelves at leading bookstores countrywide, hackers struck and pirated the e-book version on the controversial goings-on at the corruption-plagued power utility amidst rolling blackouts and persistent load-shedding that is set to throw South Africa into darkness.
Reacting almost immediately after being informed by the publisher, Penguin Random House, that his book had been illegally pirated via WhatsApp Messenger, André de Ruyter, said: “It seems in South Africa anything related to Eskom is prone to being stolen.”
The publishers described the book – Truth to Power – My Three Years Inside Eskom – featuring 31 chapters over a sweep of 237 pages as ‘’electrifying’’ – only to be appalled by information that a PDF electronic copy of the book was posted to thousands of social media users – including this newspaper.
Ever since the under-fire CEO was unceremoniously ordered out of the hot seat at Megawatt Park by the Eskom board, based on his startling interview with eNCA TV about his ousting ahead of his resignation in February, also revealing that an ANC minister apparently told him to turn a blind eye on the fraud and corruption activities and advised him that ‘’in order to pursue the greater good, you have to enable some people to eat’’ – a damning quip interpreted as ‘’it’s time to let the comrades eat’’, De Ruyter has made national and international news – including BBC World – and wary South Africans were eagerly waiting to read the tell-it-all book.
However, on the eve of the launch, information technology hackers struck, pirating and distributing the eBook electronically via WhatsApp Messenger.
Publicist Ian Dennewill confirmed from Johannesburg, the pirating of the former CEO’s book, saying Penguin Random House was ‘’appalled by the illegal distribution of a pirated PDF of Truth to Power by André de Ruyter, which is being disseminated on WhatsApp Messenger: ‘’The distribution of pirated copies infringes our copyright as well as that of the author, and it is unlawful in terms of the Copyright Act of 1976.’’
‘’We wish to make it clear to the public that the only way to obtain an e-book legally is to buy it from an e-book retailer or to borrow it from an authorised e-book library. Any copying or distribution of a pirated e-book, or any forwarding of a link to the pirated e-book, is unlawful. We will take legal action against individuals who are circulating pirated copies, which may include criminal complaints once we have collected all the necessary information,’’ warned Dennewill.
‘’We thank those individuals who have taken a stand in deleting the pirated copy and who instead have bought the book or the legal e-book.’’
The publishers described the book as this year’s most electrifying read.
Soon after Durban-born ANC Public Enterprises Minister, Pravin Gordhan, amidst sharp criticism over selecting a White captain of industry to the challenging corporate task, André de Ruyter slid behind his desk at mahogany row in January 2020 and he swiftly came to terms as to why the CEO’s post was deemed to be the toughest job in SA.
With power blackouts and load-shedding plunging the developmental state into spells of darkness and growing frustration, amidst the theft of coal and other corruption shenanigans, cyanide was dropped into De Ruyter’s cup of coffee when the embattled CEO was blowing the whistle on the alleged culprits of state capture and their crooked syndicates.
De Ruyter writes that ‘’aside from neglected equipment, ageing power stations and an eroded skills base’’ he had discovered that Eskom was crippled by corruption on a staggering scale, from fake fuel oil deliveries at one power station at the cost of R100-million per month; kneepads that retailed at R150 a pair, were purchased for R80 000; and billions of rands of equipment, supposedly housed in Eskom’s storerooms, had mysteriously gone missing.
However, he could not win his battle with the police, writing he was faced with ‘’inaction’’ from SAPS, and how he was plunged ‘’into a world that was foreign to him’’ – a world of spies and safe houses, bulletproof vests and bodyguards.
In Truth to Power, De Ruyter shares the behind-the-scenes story of how he launched a private investigation that exposed at least four criminal cartels that were handsomely feeding off Eskom’s resources and finances.
Amidst this David and Goliath battle of fighting a post-apartheid scourge, the lonely CEO dealt with political interference, absurd regulations, non-paying municipalities, unfounded accusations of racism, wildcat strikes, sabotage and a poisoning attempt, culminating in the comrades-must-eat reality check that notoriously shadowed Mandela-Mbeki-Zuma’s ruling political elite since democracy in 1994.
Readers are taken from inside the boardrooms and government meetings, where the county’s future is shaped, with insights of some ministers pulling away in conflicting directions, and how he championed a case for renewable energy as the ‘’cheapest and quickest solution to our power crisis, in spite of fierce opposition from vested coal interests.’’
Said to be a classic page-turner, De Ruyter, a native of Bronkhorstspruit and Pretoria, then candidly reflects on his 36 months at Eskom and runs through his successes and failures, his reasons for quitting and his hopes for the future.
‘’As someone who worked at the highest levels of the state, but is not beholden to the ruling party, he is uniquely placed to speak truth to power,’’ commented Dennewill.
Despite this sometimes nightmarish flight, De Ruyter says he is keenly interested in synchronising economic growth, job creation and environmental benefits via a ‘’just energy transition’’.
