Scopa, Eskom drama could’ve been handled differently

THIS is the right time for a culture shift. More recently, this became a reality as I watched the Scopa (standing committee on public accounts in Parliament) and Eskom board meeting.

This meeting was at the time when all South Africans were up in arms with the recent load shedding by Eskom that led to stage 4 power cuts.

Obviously, there are serious questions as to what is happening. Are the management and the board ready to steer Eskom in the right direction?

This is a fundamental question that we need to answer. Still, if we ignore the past neglect, we won't be helping the situation.

I think that was what the board member (Busisiwe Mavuso) wanted to highlight without derailing any discussions.

We need to acknowledge what has gone wrong to craft a new roadmap with a proper foundation. If we don't do that, we are running a risk of repeating all the wrongs.

As citizens, we are concerned about the Eskom enterprise's current state, especially in these challenging times in our economy, but does that mean we must suppress views about the entity's performance?

Sifuna ukwazi (we want to know), all of us as to the issues that continue to cause this load shedding at this rapid pace.

While we were still in that moment, I was disturbed by the chairperson's utterances to Mavuso that “cameras are derailing us from the fundamental issues”.

This is the statement by the Scopa chairperson.

I would also think there was another way that the chairperson could have taken or redirected the meeting, other than what he said and what ensued thereafter.

There is a significant danger that if such utterances or actions are not stopped, might lead to group think, which won't be good for the future.

We must allow for diverse views no matter how uncomfortable.

In our diversity of ideas, there is a lot of learning.

I am also encouraged by the following quote by Maya Angelou: “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” NYANISO QWESHA | Wynberg