EDITORIAL: Eskom must wake up
Let’s hope a stick-wielding JSE can convince the utility to get its house in order, and avoid a disaster SA might not weather
The financial markets may yet again come to SA’s rescue and restore some semblance of sanity to the governance of state-owned entities.The JSE’s warning to Eskom this week to publish its overdue half-year financial results by the end of January, or face the suspension of the utility’s bonds from the bourse, is exactly the sort of stick that makes corporate laggards sit up and pay attention. The utility has repeatedly failed to publish the figures for the six months to the end of September, which should have been released last year.Back in 2012, the market applied this same stick to fixed-line monopoly Telkom, with demonstrably effective results. Huge capital losses followed, as investors sold their Telkom shares. Finally, with the company facing the real prospect of collapse thanks to clueless leaders and undue political interference, the politicians sobered up. Telkom pulled back from the brink. Once new, disciplined leaders took over, it finally found its feet. Today, it is a wort...
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