Zuma congratulates Eskom for keeping the lights on
A composed and smiling President Jacob Zuma walked into Eskom’s Megawatt Park head office on Friday welcomed by a jubilant choir, a day after addressing a National Assembly that was deserted by opposition parties.
Zuma was on a monitoring visit of two state enterprises, Eskom and loss making national carrier, SA Airways (SAA).
He greeted staff and waved around as he walked into a control centre, oblivious to his legal woes and a Parliament boycotted by opposition parties. Staffers ululated and waved from their offices above as Zuma made his way through the complex surrounded by bodyguards.
Zuma was accompanied by deputy minister of public enterprises Bulelani Magwanishe and shown around the power utility’s control centre. The parties later held a closed meeting with Eskom chairman Ben Ngubane, CEO Brian Molefe, and other members of top management.
“I am happy with what I have seen here. You are doing a very good job…I was almost tempted to ask for a job here, because I like people who work. At times I change people for a reason because people must work,” he said to a loud applause from staff members who had gathered at the lower ground level to hear him speak.
Zuma said Eskom management and staff had worked hard to ensure eight months of no load shedding.
“I wished I had come here and witnessed your work before going to Parliament, so that I would have a good story to tell. I told management that I am now aware that we will not have load shedding… because this matter was at the back of my mind, and I was not sure whether I would be telling the truth if I said so.
“Now I will be able to tell people that this country will never have to experience load shedding again. The CEO showed me why so, and even went further to present a plan on how we will have electricity surplus that we can sell to other countries.”
He said South Africa was in the spotlight. Many countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) experienced load shedding but it was not reported because the spotlight was away from them.
“I learnt recently that one of the SADC countries experiences an eight-hour load shedding at any given time, load shedding is a norm in some countries… but we do not hear about that. South Africa is in the eyes of the world. So I thank you for your commitment and hard work.” - ANA