'Buy Eskom and remove load-shedding please’ — SA has a hilarious wishlist for Elon Musk’s next big purchase

28 April 2022 - 09:00
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SA Twitter users want Musk to fix Mzansi's issues. File photo.
SA Twitter users want Musk to fix Mzansi's issues. File photo.
Image: Patrick Pleul/Pool via Reuters

South Africans have weighed in on SA-born businessman Elon Musk buying Twitter, jokingly asking him to buy embattled power utility Eskom, and even the whole country.

The government is the sole shareholder of Eskom and the shareholder representative is the Minister of Public Enterprises.

Musk has been the talk at water coolers and the subject of discussion at dinner tables across the world after he clinched a deal to buy the popular social media network for $44bn ( R700bn).

“Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated,” Musk said in a statement.

Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey gave the deal the thumbs-up and thanked Musk and current CEO Parag Agrawal for “getting the company out of an impossible situation”.

Thousands of hilarious tweets asking Musk to buy everything from McDonald’s to countries have flooded in, with Musk joining in on the fun.

But it was the SA Twitter brigade that tickled the funny bone with their requests for him to buy Eskom and other struggling state-owned enterprises. Some even suggested he buy SA.

While the idea of Musk buying Eskom is clearly just a joke and wishful thinking, a discussion document on economic policy obtained by Business Day recently shows the ANC is looking at broad proposals that private sector companies, like Eskom, buy stakes in SOEs and help solve the country’s energy crisis.

Here’s a look at some of the requests Musk has been getting from South Africans since his Twitter purchase.


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