CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA MAY 30: Public Enterprise Minister Lynne Brown during a meeting with Parliaments Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) on May 30, 2017 in Cape Town, South Africa. The Eskom delegation appeared before Scopa to explain how coal contracts were awarded to the Gupta-linked Tegeta company. (Photo by Gallo Images / Sowetan / Esa Alexander)
Lynne Brown calls out hypocrisy over scrutiny of public execs compared to private
Minister of Public Enterprises Lynne Brown has hit out at the extra scrutiny public officials face compared to those working in the private sector.
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA MAY 30: Public Enterprise Minister Lynne Brown during a meeting with Parliaments Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) on May 30, 2017 in Cape Town, South Africa. The Eskom delegation appeared before Scopa to explain how coal contracts were awarded to the Gupta-linked Tegeta company. (Photo by Gallo Images / Sowetan / Esa Alexander)
While Lynne Brown has spent the last year getting slammed for her handling of all things Eskom, she has looked to hit back in her own way on Friday. Speaking at a special general meeting of Eskom, the minister revealed that she can be a bit too much of a “softie” at times.
Brown told the Eskom board that their jobs will be a lot more difficult than private company board members.
“Unlike those who serve on the boards of private companies, such as Steinhoff, [you] will be regarded with suspicion and mistrust. They make ‘accounting mistakes’, while you are susceptible to corruption, capture, greed and malice,” Brown told the Eskom board.
“Who they associate with is inconsequential, they call it lobbying – you must be careful who you play golf with because it will be used as evidence against you.”
Brown continued to hint at some sort of hypocrisy between the two sectors as she called on the board to be thick-skinned weary of the differences.
“Eskom’s board must be thick-skinned and steadfast. Eskom is one of the country’s economic powerhouses, if you’ll excuse the pun. You must not only maintain and observe the highest standards of integrity and probity in the execution of your responsibilities, but also contribute to the transformation of the supply chain to benefit more black South Africans.”
The minister also made reference to “the companies currently in the news”. She said those sort of companies have massive influence in both the business and political sectors. The companies then “lend their muscle to certain politicians and political parties – ultimately to achieve economic objectives that not only benefit themselves but also influence the whole country.”
Brown said she was confident that Eskom’s new board will meet the appropriate criteria. She also said that by June 2018, the board will have followed through with dealing with the malfeasance allegations against the power utility.
