OPINION
- South Africa’s state utility Eskom is currently seeking a 15% annual tariff increase for the next three years.
- At the same time the likes of ex-Chairman Ben Ngubane, ex CEO Brian Molefe and ex CFO Anoj Singh plus all the other cronies who were central to the corrupt looting and capturing of Eskom, are living in luxury on their ill-gotten gains.
- The lack of consequence management is a bitter pill for the South African public to swallow on the back of a 15% annual tariff increase.
South Africa’s state utility Eskom is currently seeking a 15% annual tariff increase for the next three years. In a series of public hearings hosted by National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA), Eskom has gone to great pains to explain to the nation why they need to implement a 15% tariff increase. At the same time, they have made no explanation why those individuals who effectively captured and looted the state energy utility are still living a life of luxury.
Eskom is in deep trouble; its debt which stood at R380bn at the beginning of last year has since grown to over R419bn. At the start of the public hearings, Eskom’s new CEO, Mr Phakamani Hadebe admitted that “Eskom as an entity has contributed to the problems it and the country are facing. Eskom deserves to apologise. It is compelled to apologise to South Africans for bringing these challenges. They were avoidable”.
The apology is admirable but the question on everyone’s mind is why the likes of ex Eskom Chairman Ben Ngubane, ex CEO Brian Molefe and ex CFO Anoj Singh plus all the other cronies who were central to the corrupt looting and capturing of Eskom, are still living free in luxury on their ill-gotten gains? Why must we wait for it all to wash out in the Commission of Enquiry into Sate Capture?
It seems Eskom and their 47000 strong staff compliment, have all but forgotten that they are public servants. While their mandate is to provide electricity to the people of the country in a reliable and cost-effective manner, it is also their mandate to manage themselves properly.
The lack of consequence management is a bitter pill for the South African public to swallow on the back of a 15% annual tariff increase for the next three years. What guarantees does the South African public have that it will not happen again?
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
2 Comments
All right thinking South African share your sentiments regards consequence management. However it’s not Eskom’s role to institute law enforcement action against these individuals, but rather the relevant law enforcement and prosecuting authorities need to urgently step up and bring to book all these cases that has been forwarded to them by Eskom. All SA awaits this.
Consequent management should apply to EsKom owners ie the State or the ANC politicians. All companies that fail the managers are to blame and they should pay the consequences. Cut politicians and Eskom managers salaries by at least 25%. Don’t fire anyone and don’t cut the workers salaries as they are not empowered to make decisions. Use the money saved to pay off the debt and fix the systems.
Ramaposa should show the way cutting his own salary and all of his ministers who failed the country by allowing Eskom to fail in this way. Then the NPA needs to go after these rogues and commandeer all their assets until all is returned.