African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says the ANC has served court papers on Eskom and its former CEO, André de Ruyter, regarding the bombshell comments on the alleged involvement of senior ANC members in corruption at the power utility.

While addressing the media on Friday, Mbalula said: "We did follow up on De Ruyter and served court papers on Eskom and the former CEO this week.

"We think that there is something illegal committed by De Ruyter. The ANC is a political party that has not instructed anyone to go to Eskom and mess things up."

He was adamant that De Ruyter had made the allegations "without any shred of evidence". 

"He just uttered and said the ANC is corrupt. We must accept that? No, we can't accept such.

"I cannot accuse the DA or any other political party of things that I don't have evidence of, because that would be hearsay. Still, when we challenge De Ruyter over his sentiments, they accuse the ANC of suppressing whistleblowers.

"Where did this whistleblower go with this information? Are the television studios he went to a whistleblowing office?" asked Mbalula. 

He said the ANC would again give De Ruyter seven days to respond to court papers - and, should he fail to do so, the party would take further steps.

On Sunday, the ANC threatened to file criminal charges against De Ruyter if he did not report his allegations of corruption at Eskom, backed with evidence, to law enforcement agencies in seven days.

Despite the seven days not lapsing, Mbalula said the party had served the former Eskom CEO with court papers.

During an interview on e.tv's My Guest Tonight with Annika Larsen, the former CEO made wide-ranging claims regarding ANC leaders, accusing at least two of being involved in corruption at Eskom.

Mbalula was addressing the media on Friday to unveil resolutions related to the 55th national conference, which took place in December 2022.

The party promised to conduct "rigorous and regular monitoring and reporting on performance, which should inform the deployment of the ANC's best leaders".

He said the party, during its national elective conference, "interrogated the state of the ANC and its ability to mobilise society around its historic mission, such as the ANC serving as a vehicle that drives the programme of a non-racial, non-sexist and democratic society".

As such, he said, the conference outcomes were a collection of ideas on how the party would continue to play a critical role in people's lives.