Hallucinations, Crown Jewels & Payment Boycotts – Ramaphosa Fields Questions In NCOP

Riyaz Patel

President Cyril Ramaphosa says Eskom is “now a standing item on the Cabinet agenda,” where the Minister of Public Enterprises appraises the Executive on the progress made in the embattled state-owned power utility’s turnaround strategy.

Fielding questions in National Council of Provinces (NCOP) Thursday, the President said the 77-page economic blueprint published in August for public comment, and which drew criticism from ANC alliance partners Cosatu and the SACP, was seriously being considered by government.

He said that while Finance Minister Tito Mboweni’s economic policy paper proposed auctioning some coal power stations to raise funds, government does not intend to sell off new power stations, describing them as Eskom’s “crown jewels.” 

DA MPL Makashule Gana asked Ramaphosa if he agreed that coal power stations be auctioned off.

“In my book, you are not going to sell the new power stations, because they are the crown jewels of Eskom. And