thick end of the wedge
PETER BRUCE: Slurry solution a no-brainer for Eskom
Some R850bn worth of waste coal could be turned into pellets that would fire up the power utility's turbines at a fraction of current cost
Try to imagine what it must have been like to be a coal miner for the Guptas. Out and out racists, the Guptas despised Africans and treated them very badly. Those who provided access to taxpayers’ money were, of course, flattered and deceived. But safety standards at the two Gupta coal mines — Koornfontein, which supplied coal to Eskom’s Komati power station and Optimum, which supplied Hendrina — were by all accounts dreadful. These two Mpumalanga mines are now in business rescue, with rescue “practitioners” supposedly running them while they desperately look for new owners. As they do that, Hendrina and Komati are both quite high on Eskom’s list for decommissioning. Little wonder. Komati, for instance, first produced power in 1961. The miners the Guptas left behind as they fled the country after Jacob Zuma was no longer able to facilitate their looting spree have not been paid for almost a year. These people have families to look after. At Koornfontein, the little town nearby has r...
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