EFF concerned by the purging of CEOs in SOEs

3 June 2019

The Economic Freedom Fighters is concemed by the resignations and firing of Black Executives from State Owned Companies since Pravin Gordhan became Minister of Public Enterprises.

Since his arrival in DPE, Pravin Gordhan has savagely pushed & forced Siyabonga Gama from Transnet, undermined Phakamani Hadebe in Eskom and starved SAA CEO of the much needed support to revive SAA into financial sustainability.

Instead of providing support that will lead to stability in State Owned Companies, Pravin Gordhan is presiding over massive purges of black and particularly African executives in State Owned Companies. The resignation letter written by SAA CEO Vuyani Jarana points to the reality that SAA was not given the much needed support by the Pravin Gordhan led Ministry.

What is notable is that historically, this is how Pravin Gordhan operates, in that everywhere he leads, African executives become casualties, sometimes in favour of less qualified friends.

The EFF Will write to the President to demand that he must immediately remove Pravin Gordhan as a Minister and appoint capable individuals who will bring the long overdue stability to all State Owned Companies.

The EFF is aware that the end goal in this deliberate incapacitation of SOEs is to ultimately sell them to the private sector, which in South Africa will be the white minorities who continue to be the economic majority. The President must be decisive and must protect black executives from one individual who acts like he is super powerful.

The EFF will also write to the Speaker of Parliament to constitute a Parliamentary Inquiry into Pravin Gordhan's negative role in SOEs. The sixth Parliament must immediately look into these issues and bring the purging of black executives to an end.

Issued by Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, National Spokesperson, EFF, 3 June 2019