Chairperson of Parliament’s Standing Committee on Appropriations, Mmusi Maimane, says ordinary South Africans are paying the price for the consequences of State Capture, which they did not commit.
“Part of the reason why Eskom is increasing tariffs and in many ways allowing more of an increase in the number of bailouts it needs is inherent because it has a mounting debt that it needs to service… Eskom needs to find ways of servicing its debt,” Maimane said, adding that the power utility’s debt burden is driving its need for further bailouts and tariff hikes.
“Ensuring that you’ve got a leadership there that is left to be able to keep the lights on and ensure that entity trades better, is the pathway for Eskom,” Maimane stated.Maimane says government has the responsibility to ensure that municipalities pay the debt owed to Eskom.