EDITORIAL: Eskom: of blackouts and consequence
If De Ruyter is doing the right things now, a sterner test will be in whether he can drastically prune Eskom’s wage bill, and cut the ineffective staff the company has managed to amass
The ANC has had numerous slogans over the years, retreaded for different election cycles. Few will forget the 1994 election debut of the party to the motto of "a better life for all". At the time, it was a galvanising slogan, easy to rally behind.During the Jacob Zuma years, and maybe a bit before, the slogan became a far more pragmatic one, with deep personal resonance for many of the party’s leaders: "innocent until proven guilty". It’s a mantra you still hear, of course, most recently from the former president’s son, Duduzane Zuma, who reminded Zandile Gumede that she needn’t give up her government role.Legally, it’s hard to argue with. Ethically and politically, it’s a slogan that has cost the ANC badly — both in public perception, and in votes — as senior leaders hide behind it, staying in jobs for which they’re either ill-equipped, or manifestly unprepared. President Cyril Ramaphosa is now moving to shift this thinking, demanding politicians step aside before they’re found gui...
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