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The ANC has read with disbelief and surprise
the article in the last week
edition of Mail and Guardian (Why Maroga
stalled price hike, 4 December
2009) alleging that former Eskom CEO, Mr
Jacob Maroga, delayed massive
electricity tariff hikes until after the 2009
April Elections at the behest
of the ANC.

We want to state for the record
that such a behest as alleged by Mail and
Guardian never took place. No one
in the ANC ever requested Maroga to delay
the announcement of Eskom
proposed tariffs increases until after the
elections. There was no reason
for the ANC to do so. Firstly, the ANC is a
liberation movement which since
its inception has championed the aspirations
and collective desire of South
Africans for a better South Africa and a
better life for all. It cannot and
should not be reduced to a mere electoral
party apparatus whose mission is
to win votes above anything else. Secondly,
as a ruling party, the ANC is
acutely aware of the separation between the
party and the state, and thus
it does not instruct nor directly engage with
government organs.

The
article presupposes that the ANC agreed with the Eskom proposed tariff
increases but was only worried about the timing of the announcement of the
proposed tariff increases. This is far from the truth. Our approach on
energy provisioning has always been that it should not have negative
effects
of slowing our economic recovery and should also not impact
negatively on
job creation and economic growth.

It therefore would not
make any sense that the ANC would disagree with Eskom
proposed tariff
increases but still find it expedient to ask Eskom not to
pronounce on such
increases before the April 2009 Elections. In fact, it is
our view that had
Eskom made such a pronouncement before elections the ANC
stance would have
fared better and thus earned more votes in the elections.

We have noted
with concern that the successive tariff increase requests
through the multi
year price determination by Eskom will impact negatively
on society, the
economy and jobs. We have disagreed with Eskom's proposed
tariff increase
of 45% over a three year period, we have also recently
disagreed with their
reworked proposed tariff increase of 35 % over three
years.

The ANC has
repeatedly called for a comprehensive approach to energy
provisioning and
sustainability in the country. We have said that this
approach should
include, among others, how we recapitalise our energy
industry without
burdening the South African consumer. We have also been
saying that such a
comprehensive approach should cover other available
options for a future
energy-funding model, and that it should place greater
emphasis on
sustainable and renewable technologies and the creation of green
jobs.

Such a comprehensive and holistic approach should also appreciate
that SA is
a developing state with a majority of its citizenry being poor,
unemployed
and would not afford exorbitant tariff increases that erode
their income. We
maintain that exploring other energy sources such as green
energy should
also be examined in addressing the energy challenges we face.
The country's
energy mix must contribute to our international obligations
to promote a
cleaner environment and mitigate the effects of climate
change. We have
undertaken, jointly with our Alliance partners to conduct a
campaign for
energy efficiencies and to promote the use of alternative
energy sources in
society.

The Mail and Guardian reporter never asked the
ANC whether it had asked
Maroga to delay announcement on the proposal of
tariff increases. The only
inquiry that was put before the ANC was
allegations made by some faceless
people within Eskom regarding Maroga's
attitude on this matter. The ANC
found it very odd that it had to comment,
first - on allegations made by
some faceless people and also on the matter
about somebody else that did not
concern the ANC.

It is only for these
reasons that the ANC did not respond to the fishing
expedition by the Mail
and Guardian reporter.