Adjunkspeaker, ek wil graag die Minister bedank en gelukwens dat sy die Eskom-raad ondersteun dat mnr Maroga nie meer die hoof uitvoerende beampte is nie.
Die belangrike rol van Eskom as die suurstof van ekonomiese ontwikkeling is sedert die negentigs oor die hoof gesien. Die ANC-regering het die waarskuwing van die komende krisis van die destydse Departement van Mineraal- en Energiesake reeds in 1998 gegnoreer. Asof dit nie genoeg was nie, het die voormalige Minister, minister Alec Erwin, hierdie Parlement in 2006 die versekering gegee dat daar nie 'n krisis op hande is nie.
Dit is opgevolg met versekerings van mnr Maroga met sy aanstelling in 2007 dat die raad in beheer is, maar hy het vinnig sy mening verander toe Suid- Afrika in 2008 in donkerte verval het, en toe is die skuld gepak op steenkool wat te nat is, te lae elektrisiteitstariewe en dat onafhanklike kragvoorsieners nie na vore tree nie. Die daaropvolgende beurtkrag en energiebesparings in Suid-Afrika het die ekonomiese groeikoers help afdruk na 'n verwagte 1,5% per jaar.
Benewens die agterstand in die onderhoud van kragsentrales en die feit dat die bou van nuwe sentrales agterwe gelaat is, het die steenkoolkrisis met betrekking tot laegehaltesteenkool en die leemte van voortgesette verskaffing daarvan Eskom se steenkoolreserwes afgedwing en ook die energiereserwes tot 'n laagtepunt beperk. Wat kommerwekkend is, is dat mnr Maroga sedert 2007 oor die steenkoolkrisis ingelig was deur die Olson-verslag, maar dat hy dit blykbaar nie met sy raad gedeel het nie. Daarbenewens het mnr Godsell op 23 Oktober vanjaar - 'n paar dae terug - 'n memorandum geskryf aan Eskom se raad oor 41 aangeleenthede soos deur die Mail & Guardian geopenbaar is.
Hier het ek 'n afskrif van mnr Godsell se dokument in my hande; die sogenaamde "41 points of unfinished business" waaraan onvoldoende aandag geskenk is ten opsigte van raadsbesluite die afgelope twee jaar. Dit het 'n vertrouensbreuk gebring tussen die hoof van die bestuur en die raad. Hierdie 41 punte kom basies daarop neer dat daar groot ontevredenheid by Eskom is oor die werksomstandighede van die werkers.
Die hele kwessie van gehaltesteenkool teen haalbare pryse en die voortgesette verskaffing daarvan aan Eskom word ook in die dokument vervat. Ook die herbesinning van langtermynkontrakte met elektrisiteitsverbruikers, die behoorlike bestuur en invordering van agterstallige skuld, die voorsiening van langtermynsteenkoolkontrakte ... (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Dr S M VAN DYK: Deputy Speaker, I would like to thank the Minister and congratulate her for supporting the decision by the Eskom board that Mr Maroga would no longer be the chief executive officer. The vital role that Eskom plays as the oxygen of economic development has been overlooked since the nineties. The ANC government ignored the warnings given by the then Department of Minerals and Energy, as far back as 1998 already, of looming crisis. As if this was not sufficient, in 2006 the former minister, Minister Alec Erwin, gave this Parliament the assurance that there was no crisis.
This was followed by assurances from Mr Maroga, on his appointment in 2007, that the board had things under control, but he soon changed his tune when South Africa was plunged into darkness in 2008, and then coal that was too wet, electricity tariffs that were too low and the fact that independent power suppliers were not coming forward were blamed. The subsequent load shedding and energy-saving in South Africa helped to push down the economic growth rate to an expected 1,5% per year.
Apart from the backlog in the maintenance of the power-stations and the fact that the construction of new stations fell by the wayside, the coal crisis, related to low grade coal and lack of continuity in its supply, impacted negatively on Eskom's coal reserves and also brought down the energy reserves to an all time low.
What is a cause for concern is that Mr Maroga had been aware of the coal crisis since 2007 through the Olson report, but that he apparently did not share this information with his board. Besides this, on 23 October this year - a few days ago - Mr Godsell, according to a report in the Mail & Guardian, wrote a memorandum to Eskom's board regarding 41 areas of concern.
Here in my hands I have a copy of Mr Godsell's document; the so-called "41 points of unfinished business" which had been given insufficient attention in decisions by the board in the past two years. This brought about a breach of confidence between the CEO and the board. These 41 points basically amount to the fact that there is general dissatisfaction at Eskom regarding the working conditions of the employees.
The whole matter regarding quality coal at a reasonable price and its continued supply to Eskom is also mentioned in the document, as is the reconsideration of long-term contracts with electricity consumers, the proper management and collection of arrears, the provision of long-term coal supply contracts ...]