
Energy minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa told the media on Monday that the problems at Eskom’s Kusile power facility are simply technical and have nothing to do with corruption.
On Monday, Ramokgopa began a tour of power plants, beginning with Kriel and Duvha.
He went to Kusile and Kendal on Tuesday, and today he’s going to Camden and the notorious Tutuka power facility.
“When I was asked this question about the alleged corruption in Eskom [after being appointed], I said give me an opportunity to go and engage at the station level,” Ramokgopa said.
This was so he could “have an appreciation of the manifestation of corruption — if it does indeed exist.”
Ramokgopa stated that he will continue to engage with unions and anticipates that they will express other concerns.
Nonetheless, based on the difficulties stated, Ramokgopa felt certain that Kusile’s troubles were technical in nature.

Kgosientso Ramokgopa during a visit to Kusile Power Station on Tuesday, 22 March 2023
He stated that Kusile’s management detailed the proposed changes to the power station’s flue gas desulphurisation system, and that he is “very happy” with them.
These changes will ensure that the problems at Kusile do not reoccur, according to Ramokgopa.
Ramokgopa’s remarks came after former Eskom CEO André de Ruyter said in February that Kusile’s troubles were caused by ANC-linked corruption.
His statement that Kusile’s issues are technological and not the result of corruption is illogical.
True, Kusile has technical challenges, but according to De Ruyter, such faults are the result of ANC corruption.
In October 2022, a part of the flue-gas desulphurisation (FGD) duct, which transports emissions from Kusile Unit 1 onto a massive chimney, collapsed.
Units 2 and 3 were brought offline for maintenance since they are also connected to the chimney.
As a result, a potential 2,400MW of capacity was lost, equivalent to more than two stages of load-shedding.
To put it another way, if Kusile had not failed, South Africa would not be facing load-shedding right now.
The collapse was caused by Eskom management ignoring the buildup of sludge and hard crust in the flue gas conduit.
According to an internal Eskom report, anonymous Megawatt Park executives provided verbal orders to return the unit to operation and operate it at its full capacity of 800MW.
Despite the fact that a defective baghouse filter designed to catch fly ash was generating a cement-like muck to accumulate within the flue-gas duct.
But, according to De Ruyter, the baghouse filter was just part of the problem.
“There was carry-over from the flue gas desulphurisation unit because the exhaust gas temperature from the boiler supplied by Hitachi [Power Africa] is too high.”
Van Ruyter emphasised Hitachi’s partnership with Chancellor House, the ANC’s investment arm.
“As will become apparent in the near future, there was substantial manipulation of design criteria in order to ensure that Hitachi got that tender,” he said.
“But, fact of the matter is, if the contract had initially been awarded correctly, without corruption, we would not have had the severity of load-shedding that we have right now.”
It is not news that Chancellor House was established to support the ANC by taking a portion of some government contracts.
In 2006, the Mail & Guardian and the Centre for Security Studies discovered the connection between the ANC and Chancellor House.
In 2008, journalists discovered a conflict of interest when they discovered that then-Eskom board chair Valli Moosa also sat on the ANC’s fundraising committee.
When the contracts were granted to Hitachi and, by extension, Chancellor House, Moosa presided over the board.
The ANC and Hitachi have both categorically denied any wrongdoing.