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Malema accuses ANC-led government of deliberately destroying Eskom

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The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has accused the African National Congress (ANC)-led government of deliberately destroying Eskom in order to privatise the power utility.

He says this is becoming a common trend under President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Malema says state-owned entities including South African Airways are run to the ground.

Briefing the media at the EFF headquarters in Johannesburg, he said they would not allow a situation in which South Africa degenerated into a failed state due to corruption.

“The former liberation movement under this current misguidance of the President is on the path to destroy Eskom in the same way they are destroying all other SOEs. The sitting government has manufactured the electricity crisis because they want to create space of the independent power producers who are largely companies from the west, working with the close friends and cronies and family members of the sitting President,” adds Malema.

The video below is the EFF media briefing:

Production decline

Labour expert Mamokgethi Molopyane says there is a possibility that mining companies may cease operations in the next coming years if power utility Eskom continues with rolling blackouts.

While the mining industry is the main contributor to South Africa’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Molopyane says this will cause production to decline and lead to retrenchments.

The mining industry and organised labour have expressed concern at the continued rolling blackouts.

Last year, Statistics South Africa announced that mining recorded the highest growth rate in the first quarter. According to the report, mining recorded growth of 18.1%. However, there are challenges in the sector, created by on-going power outages.

Earlier this month, Eskom escalated rolling blackouts from Stage 4 to Stage 6.

The company blamed this on the unprotected strike by workers and breakdowns at power plants.

Watch: Mining industry concerned about continued rolling black outs 

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