Recently disclosed cadre deployment records shed light on how the ANC’s deployment committee, through consultations with ministers, caused significant delays in the appointment of chief executive officers (CEOs) for state-owned companies Eskom and SAA, according to public records. Minutes from a March 2018 deployment committee meeting at Luthuli House reveal that Eskom needed a CEO, and while the committee supported the motion, the appointment was not ratified. The Democratic Alliance alleges that the committee intentionally caused delays to frustrate Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan.
The records also indicate delays in the appointment of CEOs at both Eskom and SAA due to compliance issues in 2018. Eventually, Andre De Ruyter was appointed Eskom group CEO in December 2019, while Vuyani Jarana resigned from SAA in June 2019 due to funding uncertainty and slow decision-making processes affecting the airline’s turnaround strategy.
In November 2020, the deployment committee reconvened to discuss board appointments at both SAA and Eskom. The minutes from a Zoom call on November 30 reveal the need to regularize and properly appoint the Eskom Interim Board within existing state rules.
DA MP Leon Schreiber claims that the records demonstrate how the cadre deployment committee contributed to the downfall of SAA and Eskom by deliberately blocking CEO appointments. The ANC’s deployment records consist of meeting minutes, email correspondence, WhatsApp conversations, CVs, and deployment policies dating from 2018.
Schreiber contends that the delays were tactics to prevent Gordhan from appointing CEOs, as the committee favored their own cadres. The ANC has welcomed a court ruling dismissing the DA’s bid to declare the cadre deployment policy unconstitutional and has called on all political parties to review the records related to their deployments. The DA plans to appeal the court judgment and will provide further details in a media briefing on Friday.