POLITICS

Eskom top brass' cancellation of WEF junket welcome - Natasha Michael

DA MP says she will submit questions regarding costs of SOE's involvement with Davos event

DA welcomes Eskom top brass' cancellation of Davos trip

20 January 2015

The DA welcomes Eskom's cancellation of a wasteful trip for 3 top executives to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, following our written request to CEO Tshediso Matona.

Though we welcome the cancellation of the WEF trip, Eskom is now claiming not to be a sponsor of the Davos event when reports state otherwise. 

To this end, I will still be submitting parliamentary questions regarding the costs of Eskom's involvement with the WEF and the costs of any existing sponsorship agreements.  

Following reports last week, I wrote to the Eskom CEO, requesting the cancellation of its sponsorship of the WEF event and a trip for 3 executives to Davos. I outlined to Matona that executives' time and Eskom money needs to be better spent in South Africa resolving the country's impending energy meltdown.

Eskom requires its leadership situated firmly in the driver's seat and not thousands of kilometres away discussing issues that are of no apparent operational or institutional value to Eskom.   

Attendance of the WEF by the executives would have been complete hypocrisy as Eskom is on the immediate brink of bankruptcy and the nation's electricity supply is intermittent. 

We reiterate our call on the leadership of Eskom to apply their undivided attention to addressing the calamitous electricity crisis facing our nation. If South Africa is to have a robust job creating economy, then the lights have to be kept on.

Statement issued by Natasha Michael MP, DA Shadow Minister Public Enterprises, January 20 2015

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