Can De Ruyter rescue Eskom? Alec Hogg, Erik Smuts probe his Nampak performance

After a long search, André de Ruyter, former CEO of Nampak, was appointed as CEO of troubled power utility Eskom. His appointment came as a bit of a surprise. His name was whittled down from a list of more than 140 and he scored the top job at Eskom following an interview. But there are questions about whether he is the right person to save Eskom - which ultimately means improving business conditions in South Africa, as Eskom's drag on the economy is widely regarded as one of the country's biggest challenges. BizNews founder and editor-in-chief Alec Hogg spoke to Erik Smuts, De Ruyter's Nampak successor - and long-time Nampak colleague - for insights on whether De Ruyter really has the business acumen needed to successfully pull off a major restructuring. Hogg also asks the uncomfortable questions about unusual accounting items in Nampak's financial reports that have raised eyebrows among the investment community. - Jackie Cameron