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Lance Greyling, the ID spokesperson for energy affairs, reacting to the resignation of the Eskom Board Chairman Bobby Godsell, says ‘Eskom resembles a children's playground through the antics of its leadership.

‘First the Eskom Board is asked to react to a childish ultimatum by both the Chairperson and the CEO that "either he goes or I go",' Mr Greyling says.

‘When a decision is taken based on that childish ultimatum, it is then communicated that the CEO never really meant it in the first place. In the accompanying confusion the CEO then calls upon his political friends to fight his battles and the decision of the Board is duly overturned.

‘These kinds of power plays over our country's most important public enterprise are extremely concerning, especially in this period when decisive leadership is required to solve our complex energy challenges and restore the public's trust in Eskom,' says Greyling.

‘The public can justifiably feel angered at the way in which they are kept in the dark while political concerns overshadow the dire need for an urgent overhaul of our energy governance system.

‘The ruling party needs to realize that our public enterprises are not their political playthings and that they have a responsibility to ensure that these enterprises are capable of serving the needs of the public,' Greyling says.

‘The ID therefore believes that an urgent meeting of Parliament's public enterprise committee must be held where all the different parties in this debacle are called to fully explain their role.

‘Most importantly, the political leadership must explain why it chose to second guess the decision of the Eskom Board and what considerations were taken into account in doing so,' says Greyling.

‘South Africa is faced with a host of energy challenges and the ID reiterates its call for an independent inquiry into the affairs of Eskom so that we can finally close this chapter of dismal energy governance.'