Sekela Somlomo ohloniphekileyo, ndifuna bacacelwe abantu basemakhaya ukuba i-UDM ayibuxhasi obu buvuvu kwaye bangacingi ukuba sifuna
umbane wabo ucinywe. Kaloku, thina bantu baseMzantsi Afrika...
English:
... we feel that the governance weaknesses or challenges at Eskom have not been addressed. There is nothing clear despite what the government has been saying and the assurances that we have been given. It is our considered view that there is no clear turnaround strategy for Eskom to try and turnaround the institution.
Another important issue which was cited earlier is reducing the cost of Independent Power Producers, IPPs in particular, because we want to cite one and important statistic as a way of substantiating this line of argument for an example, in 2015 that cost was R9,5 billion, in 2016 R15,1 billion, in 2017
R19,5 billion and 2018 it is R25 billion that goes to IPPs. This naturally increases the overall cost or the average cost of generating electricity, at the time when we should be making cheap so that we can be able to stimulate economic growth. This matter seems like there is no intention on the part of government to even cap or
try to ensure that the prices that IPPs charge Eskom for electricity are manageable.
The other important issue is what was indeed cited earlier, the National Energy Regulator of South Africa, Nersa, regulations talk about R350 per ton for coal, but Eskom has paid in excess of that. When were doing oversight last as a Standing Committee on Appropriations on this issue, I think they also cited the fact that either a supplier or supplier were overpaid to the tune of R4 billion, which is money that they need to recover. How do you overpay someone to the tune of R4 billion?
Look at the Auditor-General's report on Eskom. It talks about procurement and financial irregularities nonstop and yet we are saying we should be throwing money at the problem instead of addressing the underlying root causes of the challenge. Unbundling, whether you like it or not, comes out of the manuals of the International Monetary Fund, IMF, and World Bank on privatisation, unless and until government is able to produce a concept document that can outline what it means by unbundling. It is clear that the fears of trade unions in particular and some
amongst us in South Africa that this is a precursor to privatisation are not unfounded.
The other very important issue that we to highlight is this: Why is Eskom not allowed to play in the renewable energy space? Who is benefiting out of that, why are we creating monopolies in those sectors? Who works at these wind farms, because they employ three, four or five people and yet we spend R25 billion per annum instead of spending money in areas where they will ensure socioeconomic development benefits for the country. Amasela, (thieves).