With South Africa\u2019s biggest state utility in crisis, one of parliament\u2019s most important financial oversight committees called an urgent online meeting with the company.<\/p>\n
Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. board members failed to log on, sending a text message to say they were tied up, and parliamentary staff forgot to invite Pravin Gordhan, the Public Enterprises minister, who oversees the utility.<\/p>\n
The meeting was convened, to among other things, discuss two legal reports – one of which dealt with the conduct of chief operating officer Jan Oberholzer, and the other with a\u00a0multi-<\/span>billion rand fuel oil supply contract.<\/p>\n Oberholzer, Eskom chief executive officer Andre de Ruyter and several other executives did attend.<\/p>\n \u201cYou had chaos from the board side, which made it a farce,\u201d said Alf Lees, a member of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts for the main opposition Democratic Alliance. \u201cYou couldn\u2019t address the issues, particularly the issue of the COO.\u201d<\/p>\n The need for urgency is self-evident. Eskom is mired in corruption allegations, has debt of about R450 billion ($26.8 billion) and is struggling to supply the country with sufficient power.<\/p>\n The committee adjourned and will try to meet again next week to discuss Eskom.<\/p>\n
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