Is Gigaba and co best we can do?

After watching this week’s parliamentary committee on state capture, one has to wonder if the people on show are the best South Africa has got to represent its interests in parliament

Whilst it was bad enough listening to Minister Malusi Gigaba stumble and squirm from one subject to another on his trips to Dubai and relationship with the Guptas, what followed left one in total disbelief.

Responding to ANC MP Lungi Mnganga-Gcabashe’s grilling on why black people seem only to be trusted to deliver coal and not be involved in the procurement process at Eskom, Gigaba made a complete fool of himself and showed a total lack of understanding of the situation.

While waxing lyrically about how the supply of coal to Es- kom by black people was helping empower them, he then made

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the astonishing statement that they were also supplying Transnet for its fleet of coal fired locomotives.

Sorry minister, Transnet (formerly Spoornet) stopped running steam locomotives in the late 1990s and the museum line between George and Knysna still hasn’t been repaired by Transnet since the heavy storms of 2006.

I don’t know what is worse: Gigaba’s total lack of understanding of Eskom and Transnet, or Mnganga-Gcabashe and her parliamentary cronies not noticing Gigaba’s appalling faux pas.

What a way to run a railway!

Phil Smith

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