COSATU welcomes the Treasury’s immediate withdrawal of its ill-conceived three-year exemption of Eskom from disclosing irregular, fruitless, and wasteful expenditures in its Annual Financial Statements.
6 April 2023
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) has noted and welcomes the Finance Minister, Enoch Godongwana’s immediate withdrawal of the National Treasury’s ill-conceived decision to exempt Eskom from comprehensively reporting on irregular, fruitless, and wasteful expenditure for the next three financial years in its Annual Financial Statements.
The Federation appreciates that the government listened to and conceded to the workers and the public’s outcry against its dubious and contentious decisions. This change of heart should also be extended to Transnet which received the same exemption in March 2022.
The outlandish arguments proffered by the government for the exemption of these SOEs were unsatisfactory. They were only reinforcing the perception that decision-makers in this country loathe accountability and hold the rule of law in contempt.
The country’s self-deception is one of the reasons we are in trouble. We will not face up to the realities of the situation, we will much rather lie to ourselves or be lied to than deal with the truth.