Political parties have cautiously welcomed the appointment of Dan Marokane as the new CEO of Eskom, but warned that his appointment will not solve the crisis at the power utility as the problems are far deeper than believed.
The IFP, UDM and DA said Marokane will not single-handedly resolve the serious crisis at Eskom.
IFP national spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa said on Saturday only time will tell whether Marokane will succeed at Eskom or nor.
His appointment follows the departure of former CEO André de Ruyter in December last year after two years in charge of the power utility.
But Hlengwa said Marokane has a lot of work lying ahead of him.
For the past two years South Africa has been faced by severe power cuts costing the economy billions of rands.
Hlengwa said they hope Marokane will succeed when he takes over, but there were a lot of challenges at Eskom.
“The appointment of an Eskom CEO is a case of déjà vu for South Africa. It’s a road we have travelled many a times and the Eskom challenges persist and the disappointment is omnipresent.
“So the hype is no longer warranted. Only results will tell whether we are making progress or not. Therefore, the appointment of Dan Marokane is duly noted. We wish him well in his new responsibilities. The weight of the country and its economy loom large and now sit on his shoulders. For the sake of our country, may he be successful,” said Hlengwa.
UDM leader Bantu Holomisa said the problems at Eskom did not depend on one individual.
He said they were far deeper than what government is telling the public.
People have been brought in in the past and the public was told they will solve the crisis at Eskom, but things got worse.
The government has not played open cards with the nation, said Holomisa.
“The issue of Eskom does not depend on one person. It’s just that the government is not telling us what is going on,“ said Holomisa.
.DA MP and its spokesperson on public enterprises Mimmy Gondwe said they rejected the appointment of Marokane as he will not bring anything new.
She said Marokane worked at Eskom in the past and he will not substantially change the fortunes of the power utility.
If South Africa wanted to get out of loadshedding Marokane was not the right person for the job, she said.
“What Eskom needed as a new CEO was a rank outsider, someone with tried and tested technical and engineering expertise to run aging power stations while at the same time, ramping up capacity to expand generation from renewable energy sources,” said Gondwe. .
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