Africa-Press – South-Africa. Amid renewed bouts of power cuts, Deputy President David Mabuza will have to explain whether privatising Eskom is the best option for the future.
Mabuza is expected to answer questions from MPs during a National Assembly session on Thursday.
Kicking off proceedings, EFF MP Veronica Mente wants answers on the future of the power utility.
On Monday, Eskom’s chief operating officer, Jan Oberholzer, said Eskom’s maintenance programme was not yielding the required results, with many generating units suffering breakdowns after returning to service.
Eskom escalated load shedding to Stage 4 over the weekend.
Last week, it lost about 24 000MW capacity, with 42 units out of service. It has since returned 37 units to service.
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Illegal mining and its impact on communities were also expected to dominate Mabuza’s questions session.
Last month, violent protests erupted on Gauteng’s West Rand, sparked by the gang rape of eight women in Krugersdorp, allegedly by suspected illegal miners.
The women were raped while filming a music video at a Krugersdorp mine dump.
Locals claim that illegal miners have terrorised their area for years, and community members have now resorted to raiding the shacks of suspected “zama zamas” (illegal miners).
The sitting is expected to start at 14:00.
The questions are:
Veronica Mente (EFF)
Whether he has found that the privatisation of Eskom is the best option of taking the state-owned entity successfully into the future; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details; whether he raised this matter with the president and the Minister of Public Enterprises; if so, how was the matter received?
Mikateko Golden Mahlaule (ANC)
What concrete steps will he take to ensure that illegal mining activities which result in a loss of financial investments in mining, infrastructure and social spending, do not result in growing unemployment that lead to poverty and how will these concrete steps address criminal activities such as vandalism of infrastructure associated with such activities in the surrounding mining communities that will encourage financial investments?
Ganief Ebrahim Hendricks (Al Jamah-ah)
Whether he, as the coordinator of anti-poverty initiatives through amongst others, enterprise development, will attend to the plight of indigent street hawkers in Gatesville, Athlone on the Cape Flats, who are struggling to put bread on the table as a result of the heavy handedness by the Cape Town Metro Police and other law enforcement agencies in the City of Cape Town due to the challenges these indigent street hawkers are experiencing in obtaining trading permits, which is only accessible online and impacts the government’s efforts to stimulate and support township economy?
Manketsi Tlhape (ANC)
With regard to the Summit on Communal Land Administration and Tenure Reform held by the Government on 27 and 28 May, what were the key highlights of the summit and how is the government going to ensure that the outcomes of the summit translate into growing of the rural economy, taking into account the recommendations made by the Presidential Advisory Panel on Land Reform and Agriculture?
Thabo Mmutle (ANC)
With regard to a series of meetings that he, as chairperson of the Presidential Task Team on Military Veterans, has held with military veterans in the respective provinces since the establishment of that task team, what is the progress registered so far to resolve the issues of the military veterans and [what] are the outcomes of those engagements?
Siviwe Gwarube (DA)
Whether, as leader of government business, he will ensure that members of the Cabinet, that may be called upon by the National Assembly, will be available to assist the National Assembly in its work to process the findings of the Report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector, including organs of state and enforce any sanction that the National Assembly may impose on implicated Members of the Executive; if not, in each case, why not; if so, what are the relevant details in each case?
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