State-owned enterprises not for sale‚ says Brown

26 December 2016 - 10:09
By Tmg Digital

South Africa’s state-owned enterprises are not for sale. That’s the word from Minister of Public Enterprises Lynne Brown.

SOEs fulfill a critical role in the commercial and development agendas of the country‚ she said.

“Neither I‚ as Government’s Sole Shareholder Representative – or our Government – will bow to pressure or external lobbying outside of Government to privatise any state owned enterprises responsible for delivering basic services to the poor.

“Especially‚ when it is not government policy‚” Brown asserted in a message on Saturday.

“Eskom is not for sale. Koeberg is not for sale. And nor are Transnet‚ which has weathered the economic downtown‚ Denel‚ a Top 100 company‚ or the other companies in the Public Enterprises portfolio‚” she added.

“They must be transformed. Proposals for new board appointments‚ private sector participation‚ remuneration standards for executives of boards and SOE executives must be completed and signed off by Cabinet.

“My executive mandate given by the President is to oversee the development of stronger state owned enterprises that serve the interests of all South Africans‚” Brown stated.