New energy minister a fox in a hen-house: DA

·26 May 2014

President Jacob Zuma is more concerned about creating jobs for his friends than good governance, the DA said on Monday.

“The appointment of minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson to the energy portfolio is yet another indication that President Zuma is far more concerned with creating jobs for his pals than he is about good governance,” said Democratic Alliance MP Lance Greyling in a statement.

“Instead of being fired, Minister Joemat-Pettersson has been rewarded for her long-standing loyalty to President Zuma.”

Greyling said Joemat-Pettersson was ineffective in her previous portfolio.

“After a dismal performance as the minister of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries (DAFF), President Zuma has chosen to promote Minister Joemat-Pettersson to the crucial ministry of energy.”

She was implicated in a damning report by Public Protector Thuli Madonsela over irregularities in the awarding of an R800 million Sekunjalo tender. She was also implicated in the bungling of the DAFF’s fishing rights allocation process which saw thousands of fishing rights holders unemployed.

Greyling said the energy portfolio was tasked with overseeing an energy build programme that would exceed R1 trillion, which was far more than any other infrastructure build programme in South Africa.

“The president has essentially placed a fox in a hen-house by entrusting this minister with trillions of [rands worth of] public money. If we could not trust minister Joemat-Petterson to issue fishing licences, how can we be expected to trust her with keeping South Africa’s lights on?” he asked.

However, the SA Petroleum Industry Association (Sapia) welcomed her appointment and that of her deputy Thembi Majola.

“We welcome both [of them]… and look forward to continue working with the department of energy on the crucial energy sector of our economy,” Sapia chairman Bonang Mohale said in a statement.

“We will continue to work in partnership with [them]… to drive key issues in the energy sector, such as economic transformation, biofuels, clean fuels… and security of supply.”