SAFTU questions Mabuza’s appointment

The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) has questioned the appointment of Jabu Mabuza as Eskom’s Interim Executive Chairperson and the Acting CEO of Eskom Holdings – when the power utility is reportedly due to announce billions of rands in losses.

Mabuza’s appointment follows the resignation of Phakamani Hadebe.

Eskom is to announce its 2018-19 integrated annual financial results at the power utility’s Megawatt Park headquarters in Sunninghill, north of Johannesburg on Tuesday afternoon.

SAFTU General Secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, says Eskom’s losses are record-breaking.

“When a company appoints a chairperson to act, it is acceptable under normal circumstances, but Eskom is not. It is going to report [that] it has lost R25 billion. Under normal circumstances, Jabu Mabuza and the entire board and senior executives would have been asked to step down,” explains Vavi.

“But this is South Africa for you, where you think there is absolutely nothing wrong when companies who are [at] the core of maintaining our economy, deposit losses that are record breaking – to lose R 25 billion in one financial year,” adds Vavi.