Eskom: DA demands full transparency as madness continues

South Africans are barely into the new year, and despite President Ramaphosa’s assurance in December last year that there would be no loadshedding until mid-January, Eskom announced last night that it would implement loadshedding from 10pm to 8am on Sunday morning. A further announcement has extended this to Monday.

We were also told that leave had been cancelled for Eskom managers and executives. Despite these assurances South Africans are facing a rude introduction to the new year.

Moreover, Eskom now wants to reward its workforce with R1.8 billion in performance bonuses between 2019 and 2022, regardless of a debt that has ballooned to R450 billion.

Analysts believe that Eskom is 66% overstaffed and despite the financial burden of this it has been reported that Eskom’s estimated 6 500 middle managers are reportedly unhappy with the 7.5% increase given to lower-tier workers, and want to be put into the same bargaining unit as those workers.

When is this madness going to end? When are we going to stop rewarding dismal performance?

To add insult to injury Eskom is also seeking to squeeze an additional R69 billion out of consumers, via a price hike – an application which NERSA is opposing.

When is South Africa going to be told the unvarnished truth about the mismanagement and ongoing theft that bedevils this crucial supplier of public goods to the economy and country?

We demand full transparency, full forensic audits, the institution of rotating tier 1 audit firms and a halt to this profligacy at the expense of consumers.

Statement issued by Ghaleb Cachalia MP - DA Shadow Minister of Public Enterprises, 5 January 2020