Friday Briefing: The President's man

The President's man: How Pravin Gordhan navigates Eskom ... and treacherous political waters

South Africans have had it up to here with corruption, poor governance, theft and mismanagement. And nowhere is that more evident than when Eskom fails and everyone – rich or poor, black or white – is plunged into the bronze age for hours upon end. We throw our collective arms into the air and curse whatever gods have foisted this disaster on us.

The reasons for Eskom’s failure are varied and complex. But there’s consensus that a combination of poor planning and management and state capture has eroded the capabilities of a once proud company to such an extent that the whole thing is always on the verge of collapse.

Pravin Gordhan, the minister of public enterprises, is charged with saving the company – while simultaneously cleaning it up after the depravation of the Zuma years. His task is enormous and difficult, made even more so in the face of a constant barrage of attack from political enemies and looters who don’t want to give up access to state resources. I sat down with him to talk about Eskom, politics and how boilers work.

Best,

Pieter du Toit
Assistant Editor: In-depth News