LETTER: Critics blind to Eskom’s challenges

Regrettably, the years of apartheid, and the years under Jacob Zuma — with plenty of help from Julius Malema — have caused a deep rift of racism in the country. Now, any high-profile white person becomes a target of criticism. When questioned about the reason for targeting them, critics cannot offer a credible, justifiable answer.

Is it a manifestation of the Kruger-Dunning effect (a cognitive bias in which the incompetent lack the skills and abilities to recognise their own incompetence), or are they just trying to show off in front of their supporters? It’s not easy to clean up someone else’s mess in 20 months, a mess that took 20 years to create.

Recouping huge losses and reducing debt, planning the phasing in of alternative energy sources, cleaning up and tightening financial controls, fixing procurement and the endless chain of corruption ... these are but a few of the challenges in the way of achieving a progressive recovery of Eskom’s financial position, as well as introducing independent power producers and foreign investment into the country.

These are unshakeable facts, but the critics deny it. Why? Because of their proclivity to criticise someone who had no choice (like all of us) in his skin colour. Criticism of someone on a matter about which they have no choice, such as gender, facial or other physical characteristics, is simply reprehensible.

Arthur Mills,Via email

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