3.3 Observations The Committee made the following observations: - There was a slow progress in re-negotiating special pricing agreements; - The high electricity prices charged by municipalities had an adverse impact on the poor; - The rural electrification programme needs to be fast tracked; - There is a need to clarify plans on building beyond Kusile and Medupi power stations; and there is a need for a decision on the future energy mix for South Africa; - Concern regarding the low quality of coal that Eskom received from mining companies; - Concern regarding the labour unrest that continued to affect the construction of the Medupi power station; - Concern regarding the R36 million that had been spent on parties for employees and the R160 million of irregular expenditure that has been reported; - The contractors that did not comply with economic imperatives and the need for Eskom to build internal capacity instead of outsourcing; - There is a need for Eskom to partner with Further Education and Training Colleges (FETs) in order to produces the required technical skills; - There is a need to recruit and train more women and people with disability.