5th November 2009

In reaction to the resignation of Eskom's CEO, Jacob Maroga, it is neither the IFP nor my habit to personalise issues and situations; however this new crisis shows how Eskom's problems can not be dealt with by Eskom alone.

Eskom's problems have become the country's problems; and all of us have been forced to pay up to solve them, without having had a say in the matter.

For this reason, this crisis makes it even more urgent for Parliament to accept my demand that hearings be held in Parliament, to receive both public and expert inputs to determine whether there is an alternative way to fund Eskom's huge expansion programme, other than by the means of an aggressive tax in the form of a 508 percent tariff increase.

The same hearings must be held to shed light on Eskom's on-going management crisis, so that the replacement to Mr Jacob Maroga may be identified - rather than just appointing somebody in his place, with the task of driving us into yet another undefined mission - which only serves Eskom's monopolistic greed and not the country's interests.

Dr Mario Oriani-Ambrosini MP

IFP Spokesperson on Public Enterprises

082 556 0240