The ANC’s KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo leadership has called for the immediate removal of Eskom CEO André de Ruyter for his dismal performance and the load shedding that is crippling the country’s economy.
They also called for the total scrapping of the ANC’s step-aside rule. The party has taken a decision that those charged with corruption must voluntarily step aside.
South Africa was endowed with rich coal deposits that should be used as a primary source of energy. They acknowledged the importance of alternative sources of power such as renewable energy, but believed they needed to strike a balance in the interest of the country, said KZN provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo on Thursday.
Mtolo’s main concern was that quality coal was being exported to Europe and Asian countries while substandard coal was being deliberately used in Eskom’s coal-fired plants.
Mtolo added that President Cyril Ramaphosa should be applauded for listening to critics and removing the previous board. However, he said the new board would fail if De Ruyter was not fired.
“The problem is De Ruyter should be fired. They must get someone who knows what they are doing,” said Mtolo.
The ANC’s Limpopo provincial secretary Reuben Madadzhe alleged there were people who tampered with power stations when there was load shedding.
Just recently, the SA Federation of Trade Unions’ general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said records had proved that under the leadership of De Ruyter load shedding had gotten worse.
“Many experts and critics have argued that De Ruyter is not fit to run Eskom simply because he is not an engineer and lacks knowledge that will enable him to achieve proper maintenance while keeping the lights on,” Vavi said.
Vavi said the Eskom CEO was failing to maintain the Eskom fleet and restore it to stability. If this was done, electricity could at least be supplied uninterrupted.
Meanwhile, the leaders said they did not see how the step-aside rule could ever be an instrument to solve the socioeconomic challenges faced by the country. Madadzhe said the rule should be strengthened to ensure it was applied consistently.
“We have resolved that both ANC KZN and ANC Limpopo leaders will collectively engage delegates attending the national conference to push for the total scrapping of the step-aside rule. Alternatively, the step-aside rule must be strengthened in order to ensure that it is applied consistently,” said Madadzhe.
Furthermore, he said institutions like the Special Investigative Unit, the National Prosecuting Authority, and many others were vulnerable to abuse and being used for factional and ulterior motives. He said such state institutions could even be manipulated by ANC members who were in control of state power for their own personal and narrow interests. Even those who were not in control of the state or in the ANC were likely to use the step-aside rule to advance their hidden agendas, which ultimately weakened the ANC and pitted leaders against society.
Mtolo said they were worried the skewed and inconsistent implementation of the step-aside rule had divided the ANC and the alliance.
“There are leaders who are selectively targeted for charges, with court cases getting prolonged under the pretext of investigations. An example is Comrade Zandile Gumede, eThekwini’s regional chair,” said Mtolo.
He further said some members of the ruling party had been charged ahead of conferences to bar them from taking part in such events.
He said the implementation of the step-aside rule was in conflict with the ANC’s constitution and the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. He said the rule systematically vandalised a well-established and fundamental principle of the law – the presumption of innocence.
