The reality is that it has taken the ANC only 13 years to conjure up a monumental cock-up.
Closing the mines, incredible. Not even the most die hard right winger would've even considered this as a possiblity when the 'Swart Gevaar' took control.
It is hard to imagine the damage this will do to the average worker.
I wonder who in government made healthy returns on the gold and platinum prices following this unprecedented action?
The ANC inherited a power utility that was well run. Yes most of the population were not fortunate at the time to have power but in the greater scheme of things that is neither here nor there.
The ANC knew they were going too rollout power to the masses, they knew exactly at what rate the economy was going to grow. They planned it for goodness sake and even stalled growth in certain sectors through regulation (telecoms) and only let it move at a pace comfortable to their communist minds.
The ANC put their lackeys in charge of this great power utility and other parastatals, and they paid themselves handsomely for doing, frankly, nothing.
The ANC continued to live in denial and continually LIED to the public and foreign investors, all to keep the gravy going for them, but not once stopping to think of the future consequences of their inaction.
Not even 18 months ago Thabo Mbeki emphatically denied that there was any power crisis, current or looming. The man must live in La La land behind his multi million rand wall.
Alec Erwin continues to lie with statements like "the country is a victim of it's own success". 'BS' of the highest order, we are a victim of poor management and no planning.
Despite all the failures of the ANC, or the shoddy management put in place to window dress society, their lack of vertebrae in taking on their masters and forcing some future power planning, Eskom was good enough for 13 years of economic growth before the utility could take no more and wilted to the cancer that is demand!
This all while the ANC mothballed parts of ESKOM and drastically reduced the workforce.
We see similar trends in telecommunications. Why do you think South Africans are sitting with 3 gig caps and pedestrian speeds in the global internet arena.
It is the same reason why our roads are falling to pieces and why our rail infrastructure has all but disappeared.
Yet nobody is fired or taken to task. The people that have orchestrated this mess will continue to curry favor with the masses, which in itself is a most explosive recipe for disaster.
In the end some question beg answering.
1. Seeing as though the government and Eskom have accepted 'dual' responsibility for this shambles, I am sure investors and the public would like to know when it became apparent to the government that we were about to turn off the lights, literally.
2. Why was there no fore warning for the public and investors of this impending darkness, the country just went from one day with power on, to a power off situation.
3. Did ESKOM execs even comprehend the colossal bugger up about to hit the nation or was it to much to compute for their 'collective' IQ.
4. If they did, why were the public not informed.
5. If they did not, why are they still employed.
6. Why are we still exporting electricity while our mines, the backbone of our economy are standing idle with thousands of workers and their families going without pay.
Somewhere along the line you have to say to hell with SADC and look after your own.
