The man with a plan to fix Eskom

is used to having his weekends ruined. The of Eskom, South Africa’s state-owned electric utility, was recently interrupted by a call telling him that locomotives carrying coal to a huge power station had stopped running. Thieves had stolen the overhead cables. He had to find working diesel trains—not an easy task, since fuel is often pilfered, too. “When people ask why isn’t Eskom turning around,” says Mr de Ruyter, “it’s because the chief executive is spending his Sundays trying to find locomotives.”Eskom is a cause and a symbol of South Africa’s problems. Its woes have deep roots. After white rule ended in 1994 Eskom expanded access to electricity. But supply failed to keep up with rising demand. Two giant plants were belatedly given the go-ahead in 2007 but one is unfinished and the other faulty. Money has been diverted from maintaining the existing fleet, which is run harder than it should be. Skilled engineers have retired or left for jobs abroad. “Load-shedding”, as rolling blackouts are locally known, has entered common parlance. South Africans have suffered more of them since January than in any preceding full year.