The right royal mess that is Eskom... but have the powers-that-be not seen what was happening?
The last week has seen the waxing and waning interest in embattled parastatal Eskom reach new highs - or lows. At a heated meeting between the Eskom board and management with Parliament's public accounts committee, a slanging match between board member Busi Mavuso and committee chair Mkhuleko Hlengwa led to Mavuso's walking out - and Hlengwa was forced to apologise to her.
At the same time, Mmamoloko Kubayi, the newly minted chairperson of the ANC economic policy committee, said Eskom wasn't being transparent about what was "really" going on at the company.
Where have these people been? Have they not followed what has happened over the past couple of years? And did they not follow the escalating crisis which has been dogging South Africa for the better part of the last decade?
Parliamentarians, particularly, have not been showing the urgency over the past three years to (a) understand the depth of the problems at Eskom and (b) try to help the company out of the mess it finds itself in.
Last week's visit to Megawatt Park and other power stations was the first one in three years! And Kubayi? Well, ma'am, Eskom has been sharing every ounce of information about the state of affairs at the company for months. I'm not sure they can do more? Maybe it's time to look at energy procurement policy, because that's where the blockage lies.
Two of our finest, Carol Paton and Kyle Cowan, dissect Eskom in today's Friday Briefing (they also know the most about the innards of the place). Paton argues why the company should be saved, and Cowan has a go at those who are now pontificating about the company while they did nothing earlier. News24's writer James de Villiers interviewed Eskom chairperson Malegapuru Makgoba, and energy analyst Chris Yelland.
Have a good weekend,
Pieter du Toit
Assistant Editor: In-depth News
Eskom is too big to fail, so you and I will have to save it
Eskom's performance is deteriorating, giving rise to fears that the company cannot be saved. But, as Carol Paton writes, it is too big to fail, and taxpayers and consumers will have to pay to save it.
Banishing of Busi Mavuso and death of common sense over ANC's breaking of Eskom
The Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) has not covered itself in glory in its attempted oversight of state-owned power company Eskom. Following the travails of the committee over the past few years, it has become clear many members lack the knowledge to hold Eskom truly accountable, writes Kyle Cowan.
Q&A | Eskom's Malegapuru Makgoba: It will be a different situation at Eskom in 'two to three years'
Eskom chairperson Professor Malegapuru Makgoba speaks to James de Villiers about what can be done to end load shedding, and whether he supports Eskom board member Busiswe Mavuso's walking out of Scopa last week.
Q&A | Energy analyst Chris Yelland on Eskom: 'If we do nothing, things will get worse'
Energy analyst Chris Yelland says the load shedding situation will get worse if drastic action is not taken. He speaks to James de Villiers about what fixing Eskom will look like, and how long it will take to end load shedding.
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