The DA has handed over a petition to Eskom, demanding it pays back millions in bonuses since 2008, when mass loadshedding began in the country.

According to the party’s shadow minister of public enterprises, Natasha Mazzone, Eskom paid out R73 million in bonuses to its executives between 2008 and 2015, while loadshedding cost the country’s economy billions of rand, putting strain on businesses and raising the level of unemployment.

The petition, allegedly signed by 76 000 people and presented to Eskom CEO Brian Molefe, calls for a stand to be taken against what the party calls “an insult to hard-working South Africans who continue to struggle without a stable supply of electricity.”

It also demands that the recipients of these bonuses pay them back and that no more bonuses be paid until loadshedding no longer becomes a threat hovering over the country each year.

Even if the execs paid the money back, it would do little to rehabilitate the parastatal’s image it’s currently seeking permission from Nersa to raise tariffs a further 8.6% on top of the 8% that’s already on the cards. Besides, while this all this sound great, the reality is that R73 million is a drop in the ocean when compared to the R22.8 billion Eskom is seeking to claw back from consumers.

“The DA will not tolerate the payment of bonuses to non-performing executives while Eskom is seeking to place the burden of its inefficiency on consumers,” Mazzone said.

“The time has come to break the Eskom monopoly, reform the energy sector and open it up to increased competition,” the petition ended.

Even if the execs paid the money back, it would do little to rehabilitate the parastatal’s image it’s currently seeking permission from Nersa to raise tariffs a further 8.6% on top of the 8.0% that’s already on the cards. Besides, while this all this sound great, the reality is that R73 million is a drop in the ocean when compared to the R22.8 billion Eskom is seeking to recuperate in unanticipated expenditure.

[Source – DA]