Johannesburg, 21 February 2019 — In response to Finance Minister Tito Mboweni’s announcement during the 2019 Budget speech that Eskom will be granted a R69 billion bailout over three years (R23 billion each year), Greenpeace Africa’s Climate and Energy Campaigner, Nhlanhla Sibisi, has said:
“If the government is serious about pruning and plucking away the rot in South Africa, it is clear that continuing to throw money at a broken Eskom without a real plan for recovery only puts all South Africans at risk. Adding yet another layer of oversight through a Chief Reorganisation Officer will only be effective if radical, deep changes are made at Eskom (including cancelling Kusile) and shifting its business model away from coal and towards renewable energy instead.
“We will hold the Minister of Finance to his assertion that the steps being undertaken at Eskom will allow us to expand renewable energy, anything less will turn the grace of this bailout into an insult and indulgent waste of South Africans’ money.”
Media contact:
Chris Vlavianos, Communications Officer – Greenpeace Africa, [email protected], +27 79 883 7036