IFP Calls On ANC To Move Eskom To Energy Department

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JOHANNESBURG: The IFP notes the ANC’s recent resolution to move Eskom from Public Enterprises to the Energy Department.

The African National Congress (ANC) party leaders have, during the national conference in Nasrec, Johannesburg, made sterling calls for Eskom to fall under the department of energy and minerals.

Some on the committee say they are fed up with the energy crisis and want the government to pay more attention to it and Eskom’s performance.

The committee chair, Ms Mmamoloko Kubayi confirmed the discussion had taken place but said the committee report still needed to be discussed by the plenary of 4,200 delegates. Ms Kubayi said the ANC felt Eskom needs more engineering skills at the top.

Meanwhile, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) has come in support of the ANC delegates that have called on the government to move with speed to resolve the energy crisis.

In a statement issued by the party, “[a]s the IFP, we have raised this issue and have long been calling for Eskom to be moved to the Energy Department – many months before the ANC resolution was reached.”

“The IFP has gone on the record in 2022 during debates in Parliament, as well as in IFP statements, calling for Eskom – and other State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) – to be moved to their line function departments,” the party said.

On 24 May 2022, during a parliamentary debate, IFP Deputy President, Inkosi EM Buthelezi, stated: “The IFP believes that if we want to bring stability, we must stop making [Eskom, South African Airways, Denel] nomadic. Instead, we should put them under their proper line function departments. This will ensure far greater accountability and stability.”

“On 8 July 2022, following a four-day Meeting of IFP National and Provincial Caucuses and all IFP Mayors, the IFP released a statement which declared, among others, that “Eskom is not the only SOE in crisis – Transnet, DENEL, and numerous others are also in a state of near collapse. For this reason, we as the IFP, are calling for the Department of Public Enterprises to be dismantled, and all entities must be placed in their line function departments,” said the party.

These statements come against the backdrop of the energy crisis that has plunged the country into darkness, with stages of loadshedding escalated to reach an all-time high at stage 6.

The embattled Eskom CEO, Mr André De Ruyter announced his resignation last year after having failed dismally to resolve the energy crisis for nearly five years at the helm.