Eskom CEO and execs must cancel WEF sponsorship
16 January 2015
I have today written to Eskom CEO Tshediso Matona, demanding that Eskom cancel its sponsorship of the World Economic Forum (WEF) event taking place next week.
Sponsoring international events that have nothing to do with solving South Africa's electricity crisis is a completely unjustifiable expense at a time when Eskom is broke and holding out the begging bowl to South Africans to fund their mismanagement.
No less than 3 executives will also be flying out to Davos to represent Eskom. They are Matona, the Chairman, and the Group Sustainability Officer.
It would be complete hypocrisy for Eskom's CEO to announce yesterday that Eskom is on the immediate brink of bankruptcy and its infrastructure is fast collapsing while simultaneously sponsoring a global event in Switzerland.
Who are Eskom trying to fool by playing up to an international audience when in their own backyard they are creating the conditions for an economic shutdown?
Further to this, organisations ordinarily attending the WEF are granted one attendee invitation, but as a sponsor, Eskom can send 3 delegates and has duly taken this opportunity up.
Eskom simply cannot afford to waste resources at a time when its finances are at rock bottom, and it cannot keep the lights on.
Management at Eskom remain unable to provide viable solutions to the load-shedding that increasingly plagues South Africa. Matona's time would be better spent in South Africa, at Megawatt Park, solving South Africa's impending energy meltdown.
Should Matona not agree to cancel this wasteful expenditure, I will submit parliamentary questions regarding the full costs of sponsorship for the event and of next week's trip.
South Africans cannot be expected to live in the dark while Eskom executives live the high life in Switzerland.
The DA will continue to press Eskom to cut all frivolous and wasteful expenditure.
Statement issued by Natasha Michael MP, DA Shadow Minister Public Enterprises, January 16 2015
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