LETTER: Incensed by Eskom’s lack of accountability

I write to say that I am incensed, and to tell you why. I awoke this morning to the radio alarm to hear almost immediately that Eskom was applying for a 15% increase per year over the next three years for the price of electricity. This was followed by a commentator reporting that this was on top of another increase of 4% that had already been approved.

Shortly afterwards I went to the bathroom and found that there was no water. I wonder whether everyone realises that both incidents are a direct consequence of the government policy of cadre deployment, which has resulted in untrained or unqualified  people being put in charge of critically important state-owned enterprises, which have then been mismanaged to the point of failure. Add to this the budgeted funds that have been stolen or misused  or not spent on the development and maintenance that they were allocated for.  

Let it not be forgotten that the funds allocated  annually in the national budget come from the taxpayers. And now that these funds have disappeared, these entities run to the taxpayer to ask for more. Where are the firings, the criminal charges, the Asset Forfeiture Init — the accountability?

Geoff Mansell, Parkwood