Cape Town — Opposition party, ActionSA, has called on Minister of Energy and Electricity, Kgotsientsho Ramokgopa, to be held accountable for the deterioration of Eskom.
In a statement, ActionSA’s Alan Beesley called on Ramokgopa and Eskom Chairperson, Mteto Nyati, to be held responsible for the corruption, incompetence and mismanagement at the power utility.
During the recent Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA), the Auditor-General (AG) confirmed that Eskom’s primary energy costs would be significantly lower if it were rid of criminal conduct such as irregular expenditure and corruption.
The cost of electricity has risen, while service delivery has dropped significantly, highlighting that electricity tariffs have increased by 135% in the past eight years, greater than inflation (44%) and far ahead of South Africans’ income growth (2%).
“These excessive costs are having devastating real-world consequences for our economy and individual households. One of the key reasons cited by ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) for closing its long steel business—putting 3,500 direct jobs and up to 100,000 indirect jobs at risk—is unsustainable electricity prices,” Beesley said.
For too long, South Africans have borne the cost of corruption at Eskom.
We will write to Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa and Eskom Chairperson Mteto Nyati to demand urgent consequence management and accountability at the power utility.https://t.co/OD71V2a3TQ
— ActionSA (@Action4SA) February 12, 2025
He added that Eskom has not received a qualified audit report every year since 2017 and only met 17 out of 40 key performance indicators (KPIs) in 2023/24.
An investigation into Eskom found a large number of illegal prepaid power tokens created during the 2023/24 financial years, with this fraud costing Eskom billions in lost revenue, showcasing the “entrenched corruption and mismanagement that continues to cripple the power provider.”
“It is unacceptable that the people of South Africa must continue to suffer while corrupt officials go unpunished. ActionSA demands that Eskom and the Ministry of Electricity and Energy take immediate steps to root out corruption, remove incompetent executives, and ensure those responsible face legal consequences,” Beesley said.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
