Mapaila hits out at De Ruyter, urges SA to defend its revolution

South African Communist Party (SACP) General Secretary Solly Mapaila has hit out at former Eskom Group CEO Andre De Ruyter. Mapaila says since he was at the helm of the ailing power utility, load shedding has worsened.

The Alliance partner wants law enforcement authorities to investigate whether de Ruyter had any knowledge of corruption activities at Eskom.

Mapaila made these comments following a meeting between the leadership of the tripartite alliance and a delegation from Cuba at Luthuli House on Friday.

The alliance will host an Africa-Cuba Solidarity Conference later this year. The alliance has a long-standing historical friendship with the Latin American country which aided in accelerating the fall of the apartheid government in South Africa and Namibia in 1988 with the Battle of Cuito Canavale.

The SACP says South Africa has not adequately learned to protect its revolution. Mapaila says that this failure is evident by the recent events involving the former Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter.

He says Cuba can teach the country how to ensure that it deploys the right people to take its development further.

“He goes on to attack our country after what he himself has dismally shown what one would characterise as a spectacular failure in leading Eskom. I think when he came and took office practically Eskom had an energy availability of about 70% – he let it down to where we are and wants to blame others. So that is one of the major lessons that we are learning from the Cubans deploying appropriate cadres people who understand the task at hand, not people who are deployed to build state capacity destroy state capacity and then politics.”

The Alliance will later this year host the Africa-Cuba Solidarity Conference. Both countries have collaborated in many sectors including health care.

African National Congress (ANC) Secretary General Fikile Mbalula says, “The ANC-led tripartite alliance has taken a decision to host the African leg of ICAP in support of the Cuban people. We are doing this to signify our support for the Cuban people and the total liberation of the Cuban people. As the alliance, we restated our long-term commitment and support to the people of Cuba against our imperialist aggression including the 60-year economic blockade. It is important for us to support this solidarity as South Africa and the ANC-led tripartite alliance. For Cuba to realise her full potential, America must do away with the blockade.”

South Africa and Cuba maintain strong bilateral relations.