Eskom board cancels scheduled appearance in in Parliament - via SMS
The board of Eskom has been slammed by members of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) for canceling a scheduled meeting by sending an SMS.
Eskom board members were expected to brief Scopa on Tuesday morning on outstanding matters related to the investigation into the power utility’s chief operating officer, Jan Oberholzer.
The committee was also meant to be briefed on contracts and lifestyle audits for the 2018/2019 financial year.
However, the Eskom board chairperson cancelled the meeting on the 11th hour.
Eskom Chief Executive Officer (CEO), André de Ruyter, was in attendance.
“This morning I received a message from the chair of the board indicating that there is a critical meeting with the board to discuss HR and legislative matters within Eskom and that this meeting clashes with this meeting. So the Eskom Chairperson and the board therefore are not present as we speak now,” announced Scopa Chair, Mkhuleko Hlengwa.
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MPs were not pleased with the developments and Bheki Hadebe labelled the utility’s actions as “disgusting and disrespectful”.
“The entire executive, the accounting authority, the board of Eskom decides to recuse themselves via SMS on the eve of the meeting nogal? They expect us to accept that and move forward as if nothing has happened. Such tendencies are unacceptable and cannot be tolerated.
“We cant be reduced into sms as if they are communicating to their boyfriends and girlfriends on the 11th hour where they schedule a date now something else happens and they cannot come. This is an unacceptable chair. It is complete utter disgust they are disrespecting us for lack of a better word.”
The meeting has been adjourned and will take place next week Wednesday.