Ramaphosa urged to free king
DA LEADER Mmusi Maimane has called on the government to consider the privatisation of ailing state-owned entities SAA and Eskom to avoid a “Black Christmas” for South Africans as load shedding intensifies.
Maimane was addressing the media yesterday on the party’s 2018 government review in Parliament.
He said the only way for SAA to thrive and generate revenue was to privatise it.
“In a country where 10 million people are unemployed, it would be about time now that we should have put SAA on to the market.
“This would ensure that ultimately we begin not to have a bad airline dependent on bailouts, but would allow it to compete like any other,” said Maimane.
The airline’s irregular expenditure came to R125.9 million and fruitless and wasteful expenditure amounted to R40.4m, according to the Auditor-General’s report for the previous financial year.
The ailing entity had failed to make a profit since 2011. The airline revealed a R5.6 billion loss for that year to March this year with revenue dipping R1bn below its forecasts for the period.
Cash-strapped Eskom supplies about 90% of the country’s power by burning coal, and it has in the past days struggled to keep the lights on.
Ten of the country’s 15 power stations have less than 20 days’ coal supply, five of those have less than 10 days’ supply.
Maimane said entities battling to keep afloat like Eskom should be partly privatised to allow them to compete in the market.
“We should by now, if we’re looking at reforming Eskom, have allowed municipalities to be able to purchase energy directly from independent power producers and split Eskom into two companies.
“This will allow for healthy competition in the market. Today we would be having a different conversation about renewable energy and cheaper Democratic Alliance leader energy for consumers,” said Maimane.
The party has also introduced the “cheaper energy bill” which seeks to separate Eskom into separate electricity generation and transmission units, allowing Independent Power Producers (IPPs) to fairly compete with Eskom for power provision.
Maimane said the bill enabling this competition will reduce the “leviathan” monopoly Eskom has on electricity prices, make electricity cheaper and more secure. KWAZULU-Natal-based members of AbaThembu nation have joined their Eastern Cape counterparts in calling for President Cyril Ramaphosa to release King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo who is serving a 12-year prison sentence.
In 2015 Dalindyebo started serving his sentence after being convicted of arson, kidnapping and defeating the ends of justice.
National chairperson of Abathembu nation Vusi Mvelase said members of AbaThembu Council met in Durban at the weekend to formulate the province’s plan of action, which he said would include protest marches.
“We are very unhappy that this is the third year our king is languishing in prison, despite that his family has apologised to his victims,” said Mvelase.
Prince Azenathi Dalindyebo, who is the interim king in the absence of his father, had held private discussions with Ramaphosa over the release of his father.
“While the king’s son is talking to
In a country where 10 million people are unemployed, it is about time we should have put SAA on to the market
the president behind the scenes we are going to make sure that he (Ramaphosa) feels the pressure.
“All members of AbaThembu in KZN are going to campaign until this is resolved,” said Mvelase.
He said Azenathi had requested a meeting with Ramaphosa to discuss this matter. “We are going to march peacefully because we are not a violent nation,” he said.
Dalindyebo’s supporters had in September sent a petition to the Department of Correctional Services in East London which was directed to Ramaphosa.
“The royal family has had talks with the victims to apologise on behalf of the king.
“Buyelekhaya was a member of uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) involved in military battles in exile, and when he returned home he did not receive counselling,” said Mvelase.
Inkosi Sphamandla Mthembu of AbaThembu clan in Msinga, northern KwaZulu-Natal, described Dalindyebo’s incarceration as an embarrassment to the nation of AbaThembu across southern Africa.
“AbaThembu feel undermined as the king was a Struggle hero. Ramaphosa should do something about this because it is tarnishing our king’s image,” said Mthembu.
Dalindyebo’s spokesperson Prince Thandisizwe Mtirara said the AbaThembu Traditional Council had held several meetings with Dalindyebo’s victims.
“We are expecting the meeting to be held this month, although we are not yet sure of the date.
“When we meet the president we will tell him that we have spoken to the victims and if there is a need we will call them to confirm to the president that they have forgiven the king,” he said.
One of the victims, Nocingile Sontaya, who claims the king and a group of men had set alight his mealie field and houses before kidnapping him and members of his family, said he had forgiven the king although he declined to say whether or not he would support the release of Dalindyebo.
“I have forgiven him because I cannot hold grudges until I die,” Sontaya said.