Mavuso misses point of role on Eskom’s board
THE selection of people who serve on boards of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) must have a lot of holes, given the drama that was created by Eskom board member Busisiwe Mavuso when she acted up for the cameras during Scopa’s visit to Eskom recently.
She blurted out, in a very temperamental and unprofessional manner, that Scopa cannot blame the board for the “mess” which the ANC had created at Eskom.
It is understandable that sometimes we may lose our heads and tempers, but what is galling is her follow-up response to this outburst, which led to the Scopa head ordering her to leave.
She is right we should not tolerate pliable board members. But what is objectionable is her crass, unprofessional and uncouth manner of diverting Scopa’s inquiries to the ANC’s ineptness.
Everybody knows it is the ANC that must be blamed for what she terms the mess at Eskom, but that should never take our attention away from the fact that this board must account as to what it is doing about this mess.
By engaging emotionally and not rationally, it is clear that Mavuso does not appreciate her role and why she was brought to the board.
She is there to clear up the mess and she should take responsibility and account for what they are doing to clear it up, rather than harping on the tired and well known fact that the ANC is responsible for it.
Her behaviour is like that of many officials who are put in positions of responsibility across the political and economic spectrum to deal with the problems of this country – and yet they seem to have no clue as to what they have to do.
I think I detected the Eskom chief executive Andre de Ruyter, who sat near Mavuso, wanted to crawl away and hide as she went on this tirade.
THE Land Bank and the Department of Agriculture Land Reform and Rural Development are striving to redress the past legacy of racial and gender discrimination by encouraging the youth and previously disadvantaged South Africans to engage in farming.
While the department is striving to redistribute land to historically disadvantaged individuals through redistributing land and entering into lengthy leasehold contracts with the beneficiaries, the Land Bank, on the other hand, provides financial support to emerging farmers to empower them to play a meaningful role in the farming industry. The assistance goes a long way in helping the government achieve equitable land ownership, agrarian reform, and land distribution.
In the long run, farming has the potential to create jobs that will go a long way in denting the scourge of unemployment, and poverty.
With many unemployed youths, vigorous marketing at primary and high school level needs to be carried out by the government to make farming fashionable.
Information management unit: Department of Agriculture Land Reform and Rural Development