Public Interest SA defends Eskom director’s statement

Criticism of Eskom non-executive director Mr Mteto Nyati after a Sunday Times article is “not only ill-advised and regrettable but has emanated from who woefully fail to see the forest for the trees”, says Public Interest SA’s Tebogo Khaas.

Public Interest SA describes itself as an independent civic movement immersed in public interest issues.

The organisation says “an unjaundiced reading and analysis of the said interview” dispels any notion that Nyati wants a blanket ban of empowerment procurement rules.

Nyati came under fire from political parties and black business formations after he was quoted in an interview with Business Times as saying corruption within Eskom had largely come about on the back of empowerment policies that promoted local small businesses.

The Black Business Council said Nyati’s views “dismally fail to comprehend the basics of transformation, localisation, industrialisation and empowerment in that they project that blacks are done a favour in their own country, where they are in the majority”.

Khaas dismisses this, saying Nyati’s BEE and transformation record does not need validation nor affirmation by anyone, least of all the hideous, self-serving “captains of black business”.

“He has ably demonstrated his commitment to the ideals of BBBEE and transformation at Microsoft, MTN and Altron, where he not only championed but initiated and implemented successful small enterprise development programmes which have outlived his massively successful stints at these blue-chip companies,” says Khaas.

“Nyati is a shining light and beacon of hope for the millions of marginalised and downtrodden communities who are still denied opportunities,” he says.

Public Interest SA’s statements coincided with Eskom issuing a statement committing itself to “the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act (PPPFA) and all government policies aimed at transforming the South African economy to deal with the pervasive conditions of inequality and socioeconomic imbalances”.

The Eskom Board fully comprehends these imperatives and is totally cognisant of the challenges many South Africans continue to face in terms of playing meaningful roles and livelihoods in the mainstream of the economy.

“As the Eskom leadership collective we place a high premium on our role as a catalyst for transformation and empowerment. Eskom continues to be the largest supporter of black-owned suppliers who are positively contributing value to the production of electricity and we promote black industrialisation as a deliberate approach to supply chain management, localisation and industrialisation in our value chain,” said Mpho Makwana, the Eskom board chairperson yesterday. 

Khaas says there is nothing wrong with Nyati ’s comments, saying Public Interest SA is fully in line with the State Capture Commission’s recommendations on public procurement reforms.

Nyati has done no more than heed the commission’s recommendations on public procurement by seeking to ensure that Eskom “derives maximum value in the procurement process”. Put differently, for the public (and by extension the BEE project) derives no value if the pursuit of certain empowerment and transformation objectives are hijacked and rendered antithetical to their [reasons for their existence],” says Khaas.  

“Until we courageously confront the malfeasance elephant at Eskom shall we forever be beholden to the vagaries of corruption and maladministration. And thus, Eskom’s woes will continue.

“Lest we forget, in 2018 US multinational consultancy firm McKinsey was forced to issue a public apology for overcharging Eskom.”

Lest we forget, some of these self-anointed captains of black business operate in a dual moral universe.

“They, among others, feasted on the crumbs left by the Gupta family and Trillian’s plunder at Eskom only to now discover their voice. They are yet to issue statements on Koko and others. BEE askaris and state capture apologists in our midst betray our hard-earned freedoms and gains,” says Khaas.