SA’s biggest state companies have been plagued by mismanagement, cash shortages and corruption scandals for years, leaving them in financial strain and posing an acute risk to the nation’s finances. The rot largely set in during the leadership of former president Jacob Zuma, who stands accused by opposition parties and anti-corruption groups of appointing unqualified allies to key posts and allowing members of the Gupta family, who did business with one of his sons, to loot state coffers. They all deny wrongdoing. Faced with a loss of voter support, the governing ANC forced Zuma to quit in February and replaced him with the party’s new leader, Cyril Ramaphosa, who together with his public enterprises minister, Pravin Gordhan, moved swiftly to try put the companies back on track. This is the state of play at the main state entities: • Eskom The state power utility has been mired in a series of scandals, including allegations of corruption linked to the Guptas and their allies, and ha...

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