South Africa: Eskom undergoes examination of past, present and future

The South African parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises inquiry into state-owned enterprises (SOEs) has in recent weeks heard damning testimony from top executives at both Eskom and corporate vehicles controlled by the notorious Gupta brothers, in particular Trillian Capital Partners. On 7 November, former Eskom chief executive Tshediso Matona, who was appointed in October 2014 from the Department of Public Enterprises following a long-drawn-out search and was later suspended on contested grounds, told the committee that Eskom, and the board in particular, was in disarray when he arrived.