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The NUM welcomes the announcement made by the Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan to restructure and reconstitute the Eskom board. The process of restructuring the Eskom board is long overdue. The NUM is of the belief that the ESKOM board must be constituted by qualified Engineers, Chartered Accountants and Economists. 

The NUM is further calling for the inclusion of labour and community representatives. We are alive to the reality that the only way to get ESKOM from the trouble it is in now is to appoint competent men and women to be on its board. We further call for the restructuring of the Eskom executive. We need Engineers who understand the science of generation, transmission and distribution of energy to be in the executive of Eskom. The process to restructure and reconstitute the ESKOM BOARD must be transparent through public participation.

There is enough evidence that the current leadership under ESKOM CEO Andre De Ruyter has failed in its primary responsibility of keeping the lights on. The NUM is of the view that Eskom must be put under the responsibility of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy and not Public Enterprises. We call on President Cyril Ramaphiosa to consider deploying another Minister in Public Enterprises. The current Minister has dismally failed the country by failing to deal with load shedding.

Issued by the National Union of Mineworkers