Saftu accuses ANC of ‘blocking accountability’ at Eskom

The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) accused the African National Congress (ANC) of attempting to block accountability at state-owned entity Eskom.

Saftu said National Treasury’s decision to exempt the ailing parastatal from disclosing any irregular expenditure and fruitless and wasteful expenditure” is a plot to conceal gross mismanagement and incompetence at the utility.

Last Friday, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana issued a special government gazette on the last day of the financial year which provides the crumbling state-owned entity with an exemption from disclosing “any irregular expenditure” in its annual financial statements for the current and next two financial years.

Corrupt Eskom officials

Saftu spokesperson Trevor Shaku described the exemption as an attempt by the ANC to protect corrupt officials and to paralyse Eskom.

“This move does not surprise us. It is in line with their collective attempt to block any accountability on Eskom corruption and mismanagement; corruption and mismanagement that have consequently brought load-shedding, and continue to create conditions for the implementation of load shedding into the future.

“Late in March, they voted against the motion tabled in parliament to establish an enquiry to look into Eskom corruption. This consistent drive to block any exposure of corruption in Eskom, and bringing of real culprits to book, is made clearer now,” Saku said.

ANC vs De Ruyter

Last month, the ANC threatened to “smoke out” former Eskom CEO André De Ruyter, who the party claimed went into hiding after publicly accusing ANC ministers of corruption and political interference at the power utility.

“He has gone underground. That bravery we saw on television about claims that the ANC is corrupt, we do not see it any longer in terms of the response,” said ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula.

“We will trace him, find him and smoke him out wherever he is because we are not going to allow anyone to say the ANC is corrupt.”

ALSO READ: EFF slams Godongwana for exempting Eskom from reporting expense irregularities

Eskom a “feeding trough”

 During an explosive interview with e.tv’s Annika Larsen, De Ruyter said he believed “those in the ANC see Eskom as a feeding trough”.

“I would say the evidence suggests that it is. I expressed my concerns to a senior government minister about attempts in my view to water down governance around the $8.5 billion that by large through Eskom’s intervention we got at COP26.

“And the response was essentially you have to be pragmatic. In order to pursue the greater good, you have to enable some people to eat a little bit. So, yes, it is – I think – entrenched,” De Ruyter said.

ALSO READ: WATCH: Eskom a ‘feeding trough’ for ANC – De Ruyter