Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan gets a mouthful from ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula for his slow pace in fixing underperforming State-Owned Enterprises including Eskom that has subjected South Africans to years of rolling electricity cuts.
Mbalula was speaking during the ANC Women’s League conference currently underway in Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg on a wide range of issues including ANC leadership and underperforming Ministers and those that he said were serving the people well..
“The Reserve Bank says the Repo Rate stays as it is and says fix load shedding, fix the logistics of the country. And then it says move the heavy vehicles off the road to the rail and that is the policy of the ANC. What I am going to Pravin is move faster on fixing Transnet or else we move you”.
Ironically Mbalula was Transport Minister from May 2019 until March 2023, when the rail infrastructure was completely decimated, especially during the two years of Covid-19. Mbalula emphasised that the party does not want incompetent Ministers and Premiers.
“We don’t want Ministers who don’t know what they are doing. When you are a Minister and you are given work, it should show you are a Premier or a Minister, you must be busy like Panyaza (Lesufi) , you must be a Premier that goes to the people,” he said.
The women in the ANC were also not spared his vitriol. “Don’t always fight for men to lead in the ANC. Even today you are fighting among yourselves because of men. You go and listen to men before you make decisions.”
On Saturday night ANC released a statement defending Gordhan saying that fixing railways and ending load shedding will need collective cooperation.
“Admittedly, the government alone cannot succeed in rolling back all of these challenges. South Africans from all walks of life have a singular and collective obligation to help the government to craft policy interventions in addressing such challenges. In doing so, we do not have the luxury of time on our side. We must move with the requisite speed in resolving all of these societal challenges that threaten the livelihood of our people.
“The Minister of Public Enterprise will undoubtedly not provide answers alone facing our rail transport system. The fact that a clarion call is sounded on the Minister to fast-track policy interventions to address our rail and freight logistics does not amount to a call for his removal.”
