It’s worrying that politics still takes precedence over all else

Earlier this week, we suggested to President Cyril Ramaphosa that, in a time of clear national crisis, perhaps he should shelve the principle of cadre deployment to his Cabinet and recruit skilled people from outside the ANC to help save our country.

In a similar vein, we wonder, given the very real possibility of a total collapse of our national electricity grid, whether it might not be a time to hit the pause button on affirmative action when it comes to the case of Eskom.

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Last year, AfriForum and Solidarity said they had hundreds of experienced former Eskom employees who were willing and able to pitch in and help turn things around at the parastatal.

Even some ANC politicians acknowledged that this might not be a bad idea. Yet, it seems that the transformation diktat still rules in our state-owned enterprises and Eskom in particular, after the utility published its employment plan for the next three years.

This envisages a reduction in the number of white men employed from 2 970 to 2 539, while overall workforce numbers will rise from the current 34 344 to 36 949 by March 31, 2025.

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African male number will also drop, though. Sensing a political opportunity, trade union organisation Solidarity said it believes Eskom would lose vital experience and skills, which it needs to get the grid back on its feet.

They argue that many of those white males, with years of experience, will be lost from the skilled technical area.

Eskom, however, has no option if it is to meet more stringent targets which have been set by the ANC government … in much the same way Dis-Chem did not last year.

It is worrying that, in an obvious national emergency, it is still the politics of transformation – some might say race – which take precedence over all else.

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