Premier Alan Winde is completely outraged at the move to exempt Eskom from disclosing its irregular, fruitless, and wasteful expenditure in its annual financial statements for the last financial year and the next two years.
The Premier remarked, “This exemption from Treasury, which is the guardian of our country and government’s financial guardrails flies in the face of all financial checks and balances and good governance. The fact that it has been given the go-ahead by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana makes it even more concerning and perplexing. It seems that rather than stopping corruption, it is being formalised at Eskom. This is not moving us away from grey-listing. This is making Eskom blackouts, financial blackouts too.”
He has questioned the motive behind the exemption, “Is this an attempt to protect the mafias which are holding the company hostage? What are they trying to conceal? This is a major blow to transparency, which is critically needed in our country, especially at State Owned Entities, many of whom are in a shocking state. The power utility cannot be allowed to evade accountability.”
Premier Winded added, “This will be a major setback to meaningfully dealing with the energy crisis and fixing Eskom. This decision is arbitrary and is of serious concern. We are pursuing and considering all options to stop this exemption. We are a government that stands for integrity and due process – this is the exact opposite.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Western Cape Government: Office of the Premier.
