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DA: Deputy President Mabuza not the right man to rescue Eskom

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DA: Deputy President Mabuza not the right man to rescue Eskom

Deputy President David Mabuza
Deputy President David Mabuza

21st February 2019

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/ MEDIA STATEMENT / The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za.

Once again this house convenes for an urgent debate on the power cuts crisis that is crippling our country.

Almost 10 years ago, this house sat to debate a DA motion to consider measures to mitigate the devastating impact of the worst power blackouts that SA experienced back then.

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As it was then, it is the DA, once again, at the forefront of providing solutions on an issue of national importance.

While we gather here with the knowledge that our work will proceed uninterrupted in the event of a power cut because Parliament’s generators will kick in. Many ordinary South Africans don’t enjoy the same privilege.

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The rolling blackouts have been affecting South Africans from all walks life and the effects have been devastating.

While many of the Ministers in this house ignore the true effect of the corruption and maladministration that has broken Eskom, ordinary people feel the pinch every single day.

Industries will shut down. People will lose jobs. And all of this can be traced back to the people sitting on the right side of the House.

For Sara Masemola from Winterveldt, power cuts are life threatening. She says and I quote:

“It is difficult to cope without electricity because I need power to prepare food because I take (diabetes) medication. I don’t have a paraffin stove to fall back on like other residents.”

A print shop owner in Fordsburg, who can’t afford a generator says that “the power cuts are killing business for my shop. Without power, there are no profits for me.”

A baker in Linden, Johannesburg told a community radio station that she is throwing away as many as 15 loaves of unbaked bread as a direct results of power cuts.

Even those who can afford a generator, the devastating impact of the power cuts to their business is still large.

Themba DLamini who owns a butchery in Pietermaritzburg told a local newspaper that:

“Running a generator during power cuts is expensive and doesn’t provide enough energy to keep the lights on, fridges cold and met band saws working optimally.”

These power cuts by the ANC are killing small businesses

The impact of power cuts at public health facilities has been severe.

Helen Josephs Hospital in Gauteng has been one of the public health facilities hit hard by recent power cuts.

A generator supplying power to the hospital’s emergency ward recently broke down during a power cut, leaving patients and medical professionals stranded.

A functional generator or alternative energy sources at hospitals and clinics could be the difference between life and death.

However, the sad reality is that many clinics in poor communities don’t have enough fuel reserves to use generators for long periods when power cuts strike.

These power cuts by the ANC government are killing our public health system.

The President’s appointment of Deputy President Mabuza to lead the task team that will deal with the Eskom crisis was one of the most devastating decisions.

For anyone who has followed the colourful political life of the Deputy President knows that he is not the one to rely on when you need to fix anything.

The Deputy President has a proven track record in government that shows he is the country most incompetent senior public servant.

Deputy President Mabuza is no Mr Fix It. He is the Mr. Destroyer of the public service.

His legacy as the MEC of Education in Mpumalanga includes inflated matric results, questionable awarding of contracts and poorly built schools.

The Deputy President is an individual who seeks to maximize opportunities for personal benefits when given responsibilities for selfless leadership.

We don’t trust him. We know the majority of his colleagues don’t trust him.  The bottom live is that he is not the right man to lead us out of an energy crisis.

His own colleague, Honourable Fish Mahlalela, told the New York Times the following about the Deputy President’s leadership:

“He didn’t become what he is now because of his political capability… (rather) it was out of money and manipulation.”

In the very same article, the New York Times concludes that:

“Mabuza’s role as the country’s second most powerful politician casts doubt on the legitimacy of the new government and its assertions that the ANC is turning the page on corruption.”

Honourable Members, unlike some parties in this house, we don’t talk about hypothetical solutions masquerading as “superior logic.”

While the unbundling of Eskom is long overdue, we propose the following to secure our Eskom’s future and sustainability:

  • Immediately remove Deputy President Mabuza as the chair of the cabinet panel.
  • Introduce Independent Power Producers to relieve pressure on the national grid.
  • Change Eskom’s coal procurement policy immediately to allow Eskom to procure coal from any credible source;
  • Reaffirm Eskom’s engineering and maintenance employees as an “essential service” that cannot enter into strike action;
  • Introduce a drastic salary restructuring of Eskom’s executives;
  • Instruct municipalities to start a “name and shame” campaign of the main offenders that are non-paying their electricity bills.

Fellow South Africans, every power cut you experience cut is a reminder that the ANC is killing the lights.

Therefore, a vote for the ANC is a vote for more power cuts.

We are in this crisis because the ANC has allowed Eskom’s debt to grow to unaffordable levels.

We are in this crisis because of executive instability at Eskom evident in the appointment 6 CEOs over 10 years.

We are in this crisis because the ANC government has failed to complete both Kusile and Medupi Power Stations in time.

We are in this crisis because the costs of building both power stations have doubled.

Fellow South Africans, use your vote to cut the ANC’s powers by voting for a party that has credible solutions to solve the country’s growing energy crisis.

And that party is the DA!

Kea Leboga!

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