This weekend’s lekgotla of the ANC national executive committee (NEC) will focus on the timing and method for transferring state-owned businesses (SOEs) from the department of public enterprises (DPE) to their line ministries.
The proposed change would put the power company under the supervision of the department of mining and energy, in accordance with a resolution adopted by the party’s national conference in December in response to Eskom’s electricity generating issue.
The conclusions of the ANC lekgotla will subsequently be used to inform a comparable two-day cabinet meeting that will be held by President Cyril Ramaphosa the following week. At this meeting, his government’s reorganisation will be considered in advance of the State of the Nation speech on February 9.
But an actual move of the SOEs to their line ministries is not likely to take place in the short term, given the amount of work necessary to translate the conference resolution into reality.
Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele said the three-day lekgotla would assess how resolutions — including moving Eskom to the department of mineral resources and energy — could be implemented.
Between now until the 2024 elections, Gungubele stated that their focus will be on the execution of current policy and resolving shortcomings rather than on establishing new ideas. In addition, he discussed Gordhan’s political future, who has led the department of public enterprises for the previous five years.
Gordhan has taken heat for the ongoing decline of state-owned companies under his leadership, particularly Eskom.
Additionally, the public enterprises minister did not run for election to the ANC’s NEC at the party’s conference in December, raising doubts about the length of his tenure in Ramaphosa’s cabinet.
“All of us, our future is in the hands of the ANC,” Gungubele said, adding that all ministers will be assessed based on their performance. “Whatever the view of the organisation and the president is, we will align with that.”
Gungubele added that Eskom has distorted South Africa’s impression of Gordhan.