THE ANC is looking to China to find a rescue plan for Eskom as it battles to keep the lights on.
ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe dismissed an option of privatisation for Eskom yesterday, saying discussion in the governing party was rather about adopting a model by China which capitalised many of its state owned enterprises.
"The China system is simple. For example, it would give away 30% stake (in a state owned enterprise) and keep the rest. Then it capitalised the institution.
"It is based on experience we have seen in China, which we think can work better with us rather than the privatisation we promised when the neo-liberal agenda was on ascendency."
Mantashe said the ANC was considering how for example China managed to change Lenovo into a world renowned technological enterprise by merging it with IBM and refining its technologies.
"There is no debate on privation. If you are saying its privatisation you are choosing an ideological part that is not in the debate".
ANC head of economic transformation Enoch Godongwana last week told Sowetan that an ANC lekgotla held last year had decided to sell off parts of Eskom.
He said the move to sell a stake to pension fund entities like the Public Investment Corporation was intended to raise funds to deal with the power utility's financial woes.
Godongwana's comments have rattled feathers of the ANC's alliance partners, the SA Communist Party and Cosatu, both, rejecting there has ever been such a decision by the lekgotla.
Meanwhile, Mantashe said there was no simplistic view to stop load shedding.
"Load shedding will be a feature for years until we correct the question of electricity supply.
"There can't be some magic solution of eliminating load shedding.
"What is important now at Eskom is to accelerate its building projects, to commission Khusile, Medupi, Ingula and to improve servicing power stations".
The coal fired power stations are only expected to be complete in 2022. Mantashe said he could not speculate about the impact the ongoing blackouts by Eskom would have for the ANC during local government elections.
"That's not a matter for speculation. Our view is to focus on finding solutions to real problems."
He said the fact that the ANC has connected an additional 7-million households to the grid was in itself positive.
"We always owned up that the building programme started later than it should have been, so we are not going to get an instant solution.
"We are owning up. I think the correct solution is to own up rather than manufacturing responses to appease the electorate."
'China model' could be solution for Eskom
THE ANC is looking to China to find a rescue plan for Eskom as it battles to keep the lights on.
ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe dismissed an option of privatisation for Eskom yesterday, saying discussion in the governing party was rather about adopting a model by China which capitalised many of its state owned enterprises.
"The China system is simple. For example, it would give away 30% stake (in a state owned enterprise) and keep the rest. Then it capitalised the institution.
"It is based on experience we have seen in China, which we think can work better with us rather than the privatisation we promised when the neo-liberal agenda was on ascendency."
Mantashe said the ANC was considering how for example China managed to change Lenovo into a world renowned technological enterprise by merging it with IBM and refining its technologies.
"There is no debate on privation. If you are saying its privatisation you are choosing an ideological part that is not in the debate".
ANC head of economic transformation Enoch Godongwana last week told Sowetan that an ANC lekgotla held last year had decided to sell off parts of Eskom.
He said the move to sell a stake to pension fund entities like the Public Investment Corporation was intended to raise funds to deal with the power utility's financial woes.
Godongwana's comments have rattled feathers of the ANC's alliance partners, the SA Communist Party and Cosatu, both, rejecting there has ever been such a decision by the lekgotla.
Meanwhile, Mantashe said there was no simplistic view to stop load shedding.
"Load shedding will be a feature for years until we correct the question of electricity supply.
"There can't be some magic solution of eliminating load shedding.
"What is important now at Eskom is to accelerate its building projects, to commission Khusile, Medupi, Ingula and to improve servicing power stations".
The coal fired power stations are only expected to be complete in 2022. Mantashe said he could not speculate about the impact the ongoing blackouts by Eskom would have for the ANC during local government elections.
"That's not a matter for speculation. Our view is to focus on finding solutions to real problems."
He said the fact that the ANC has connected an additional 7-million households to the grid was in itself positive.
"We always owned up that the building programme started later than it should have been, so we are not going to get an instant solution.
"We are owning up. I think the correct solution is to own up rather than manufacturing responses to appease the electorate."
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