We will not be free from ANC until Scopa fulfils its oversight role

We call 27 April Freedom Day but we are not free from ANC incompetence, corruption and electricity blackouts.

The spat between parliament’s standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) and Eskom board member Busisiwe Mavuso is instructive. Where was Scopa when we needed a watchdog? Scandals such as the arms deal, Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla home and state capture could have been cut short if Scopa had been doing its job.

Instead, Scopa consistently caved in to ANC crooks.

Now, with radical economic transformation (RET) forces baying for Eskom CEO André de Ruyter’s demise, Scopa gives them ammunition.

In the 14 years since rolling blackouts started, did Scopa ask tough questions of any Eskom boards? There was once a brave IFP Scopa chair, Gavin Woods. He resigned in 2002 after pressure from the Thabo Mbeki administration to soften the arms deal probe. Zuma, who was then deputy president, wrote a letter to Woods to discourage the investigation.

The current IFP Scopa chair, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, is different. His treatment of Mavuso was disgraceful and his apology debatable.

ALSO READ: Scopa and Mavuso’s spat a sign of frustration with govt’s meddling at Eskom – expert

A caveat: policy issues are not Scopa’s core concern. It is a watchdog over how taxpayers’ money is spent by the executive. Much of its work stems from the annual reports of the auditor-general on accounts of government departments and state institutions.

From this perspective, Mavuso’s controversial statement to Scopa could be interpreted as being misplaced. She might, more correctly, have directed her comments to parliament’s portfolio committee on public enterprises.

Yet, while Scopa cannot be held accountable for ANC policies and practices which have reduced Eskom performance, the committee hasn’t fulfilled its oversight role over the power utility. If Scopa had been doing its job properly all these years, we might not have needed the expensive Zondo commission.

Since last week’s drama, there have been calls for the Eskom board to say when load shedding will end. Questioners, including radio show hosts, think this is a smart way of holding the board accountable. In fact, it’s impossible to give a reliable answer.

ALSO READ: Scopa chairperson Hlengwa apologises to Busisiwe Mavuso over Eskom clash

RET supporters gleefully exploit this uncertainty, pointing to the relative lack of load shedding when Brian Molefe and Matshela Koko were in charge. Never mind that these Gupta appointees made the present situation worse by overworking plants and ignoring maintenance. And there were financial shenanigans.

We are now in the catch-up years, which can be prolonged by political sniping.

Mavuso correctly refused to be held responsible for Eskom’s troubled state. There are many different ways in which Scopa chair Hlengwa could have responded. He chose the low road, telling Mavuso to “behave or leave”, continuing his verbal assault while she was walking out.

This was the behaviour of a bully, unbecoming of any leader in a society where pledges to combat gender-based violence come cheaply. He has since admitted it could have been handled better. For years, Scopa should have handled things better.

If they had tackled the bad guys, we might now at least be free of blackouts.

Freedom Day is not what it could be. Stand by for load shedding. Blame the ANC and its sycophants.