C’est la vie Brian Molefe, we won’t miss you

AS FAR as public opinion goes, Eskom CEO Brian Molefe is guilty as charged of involvement in state capture, and by account of the many elements presented by a host of investigative journalists, the public protector, whistle-blowers and civil action organisations, he may just be found guilty in a legal court in due course.  

Molefe’s background and history positioned him as the ideal candidate to become the people’s hero.  What we had all hoped for, was a leader who would sort out the mess at Eskom and get it back on track, to finish the never ending projects at Medupi, Kusile and others which had grossly overshot their budgets and commissioning dates. We wanted him to put the brakes on the run-away electricity tariff hikes and to improve the productivity of the power utility to its once former glory. The stage for distinction was set.

Instead, Molefe chose the low road and took the side of government and connected greed.  Instead of seeking ways to at least halt the electricity tariff hikes, his finance team attended the Multi-Year Price Determination meetings with arguments and presentations seeking double digit increases, well above inflation and to fight hard in the opposite corner to that of the people.

He chose to convince the public why the nuclear energy option was the best way forward for South Africa, and why it will be worth spending hundreds of billions of rand on this project when leading thinkers on energy policy and economics believed that government’s nuclear energy plan made no economic sense.

And when he was challenged by the media at Eskom’s briefings, he chose to be condescending, belittling and threatening. He chose to defend the Gupta’s transactions and alleged preferential financial treatment afforded to the family who had become notorious for its interference in the state’s dealings.  He chose to scold the banks for turning their backs on the Gupta empire.

Why was it difficult for Molefe to see that the people yearned for better leadership of this critical state-owned entity?  Why could he not realise that his repeated defence of the extremely questionable and shocking situations exposed by the media, time and time again, without as much as a serious gesture of seeking to investigate these happenings, is extremely worrying.  

Molefe’s defensive reaction to the regular debacles give the impression that he was aware of the deeper dynamics of these project, quickly citing reasons, explanations and excuses to defend the claims of wrongdoing. 

What we expected from Molefe, was a response to meaningfully investigate and get to the bottom of the alarming claims, and to report back to the people on what actually transpired and who was held accountable for the problems. That’s what good leadership for the people looks like.  

What South Africa needs are executives at Eskom who are serious about their role in containing costs and questioning the relationships between the high value projects undertaken by people closely connected to President Jacob Zuma.

Eskom’s debt has rocketed from R182bn in 2012 to R322bn in 2016, with significant increases due to come.  Furthermore, Eskom’s staff compliment has increased by 36% from 35 100 in 2010 to 48 000 today, against the backdrop of a declining energy production by over 10% since 2010. These are not the signs of good leadership.

There is no doubt that Molefe’s conduct and that of their entire board, needs to be thoroughly investigated. Their actions have not been conducive to heading up a state-owned entity in a manner that seeks the best outcomes for the people.  

C’est la vie Brian, we won’t miss you - but rest assured that civil society and other institutions will work hard to hold you and your henchmen to account for any wrongdoing linked to your tenure at Eskom.

*Wayne Duvenage is the chairperson of Chairperson of the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse