Former Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter has returned to South Africa and taken up a consultancy role with renewable energy companies, while continuing to teach and conduct academic research abroad on a part-time basis.
De Ruyter resigned from Eskom in December 2022, followed by his final exit in 2023 due to safety concerns as a result of an explosive interview that exposed deep-rooted corruption at the power utility.
He then appeared before Parliament in April 2023 and later published a book detailing the corruption and dysfunction at Eskom.
After a period of intense public scrutiny, he largely stepped away from South Africa and public life.
He resurfaced in September 2023 when he joined Yale University’s Jackson School of Global Affairs as a senior fellow for the 2023 to 2024 academic year.
Speaking in an interview with Ontbytsake in late 2025, de Ruyter described his time in the United States as a “decompression period” after the pressure of running Eskom.
He said he particularly enjoyed Yale and described it as a beautiful campus filled with highly intelligent students and academics.
According to de Ruyter, it was a stimulating environment where he learned a great deal and had time to reflect.
His decision to return home was driven by both timing and personal preference. De Ruyter said his Yale contract had ended, but more importantly, South Africa remained the place where he and his family felt most at home.
Having lived and worked in five different countries, he said that experience gave him perspective on where he wanted to settle.
Despite South Africa’s many challenges, he said it was still the best place for him to live. “This is our place. This is where we want to be. We are South Africans,” he said.
There is hope for South Africa
Since returning, de Ruyter has been doing consulting work for renewable energy companies.
He believes renewable energy technologies will play a critical role in securing South Africa’s electricity supply in the future.
His current work keeps him involved in the energy sector, but outside of government and Eskom.
After his time in the United States, de Ruyter also spent time at Oxford University, where he continued teaching and engaging with academic staff.
While he did not go into detail about his role there, it is understood to be similar to his position at Yale, focusing on renewable energy and the green economy.
He summed up his current professional life by saying he is effectively an “itinerant scholar” who also consults for renewable energy firms, adding that he is trying to stay out of the public spotlight.
His move into renewable energy consulting is similar to that of former Eskom COO Jan Oberholzer, who worked closely with de Ruyter at the utility.
Oberholzer was a strong supporter of renewable energy and private sector involvement in electricity generation.
After leaving Eskom, he consulted widely in the sector before being appointed chair of Mulilo Energy, which has since become a significant player in South Africa’s renewable energy market.
Although de Ruyter is back home and keeping a lower profile, he remains outspoken about South Africa’s broader direction.
In a presentation he gave at the BizNews Investment Conference in September, he said the country still has immense potential, but only if decisive action is taken.
He believes the government needs to restore confidence, tackle corruption, and focus on economic growth.
He has argued that President Cyril Ramaphosa must show bold leadership and make difficult policy decisions to reverse the country’s decline.
De Ruyter has called for changes to empowerment policy, including replacing BEE with a system that targets the poorest South Africans rather than politically connected elites.
He has also pushed for fiscal discipline, a smaller cabinet, less regulation, stronger protection of property rights, and a renewed commitment to private sector-led growth.
He believes growth is the key issue, warning that investors are losing faith in South Africa’s promises. De Ruyter said that without real delivery on its promises, the country risks sliding further into economic trouble.
