LETTER: What does Mabuza know about coal cartels?

On Wednesday, the deputy president of the country finally tendered his resignation to the speaker of parliament (“David Mabuza’s tenure as deputy president of SA ends”, March 1). This has long been coming as he made it clear that he would be leaving government after not making the ANC’s top seven at Nasrec. But what are we going to miss with him gone?

The truth of the matter is that many South Africans will not miss David Mabuza; they did not know what his job in government was.  This is because the man has been missing in action for most of the time. It was only late during the Covid-19 vaccination drive that we began to see him trying to do something.

But before he goes, as the leader of government business it will be proper to ask him what he did to ensure Eskom as a state entity does not die in the ANC’s hands. This question is even more relevant because he is the former premier of Mpumalanga, where the real rot in Eskom is happening. Is it possible that he looked away when the so-called cartels were busy bringing Eskom to its knees?

As the former premier, does Mabuza know of any senior political leader in Mpumalanga who might be involved in the collapse of Eskom? What intervention did he make, if any, to save the dying state-owned entity? These are necessary questions if we are to judge his tenure as deputy president fairly. Certainly, it is difficult to believe that he knew nothing about the cartels operating in Eskom.

Tom Mhlanga
Braamfontein

JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an email with your comments to letters@businesslive.co.za. Letters of more than 300 words will be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Writers should include a daytime telephone number.