'He must have drunk De Ruyter’s Kool-Aid if he is willing to show such obedience': EFF slams Mteto Nyati

The EFF has slammed remarks by Eskom's Mteto Nyati that to save the ailing power utility empowerment policies must be discarded. 

In an interview with Sunday Times, the newly appointed Eskom board member said he believes empowerment policies are hampering Eskom’s performance and will have to go if the electricity crisis is to be fixed.

Nyati is in charge of the board’s new business operations performance committee, which has been working closely with management so he and his team can focus on the areas holding the utility back.

“It’s our responsibility as the board to remove any blockages or challenges in the way of the management team so they can focus on doing what they know best,” said Nyati. 

The EFF in a statement said Nyati’s remarks are “contemptible, misdirected and nonsensical”.

The party said his remarks demonstrate he does not have the interests of SA and black people in mind.

“The remarks made by Nyati expose his poor understanding of the role of procurement in localisation, building industries and creating sustainable jobs. 

“The idea that procurement of goods through current legislation seeks to create a layer of middleman is not only misguided but demonstrates that people like Nyati are entrusted to run large and complex institutions because it is known that they will be obedient puppets and fronts for neocolonial institutions and an economy that seeks to benefit former colonisers,” the EFF said.

The EFF maintains that solutions to fix SA's electricity crisis are dependent on Eskom focusing on its primary mandate, which is to generate dependable and affordable electricity.

“Clearly Nyati must have drunk [Eskom CEO] Andre de Ruyter’s Kool-Aid if he is willing to show such unquestioning obedience to Eskom’s current management’s folly, incompetence and corruption. 

“If he believes that localisation, industrialisation and black empowerment are synonymous with dysfunctional, incompetence, and the failure of Eskom, he is clearly an unsalvageable puppet of the establishment white capitalist, whose entire wealth is based on the exploitation of the working class and black people,” the party said.

The EFF called on trade unions, think-tanks and political parties to “continue with the fight to protect Eskom and the privatisation of electricity generation”.

“If Eskom management was appointed based on who was the best person for the job, De Ruyter and [Eskom COO] Jan Oberholzer should have been fired a long time ago. The idea that you can suspend power station managers for incompetence and poor performance while the CEO and COO are still in their job is foolish and racist,” the party said. 

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