[Article] Eskom donates 12 new vehicles

[Butch Hannan]

This made my blood pressure rise.This is an extract from the Mpumalanga Mirror dated June 22-5. The vehicles were handed over by Eskom Managing Director Mr. Dan Marokane. Why are they asking for extra money while they make donations like this?

MEC for public works, roads and transport. Dr. Clifford Mkasi thanked Eskom for the 12 patrol vehicles which the state owned enterprise sponsored to enhance traffic law enforcement and operation and visibility on coal road haulage routes.

Mkasi was speaking at a hand over ceremony at the Civic Centre Ermelo, where Eskom officially handed over the vehicles to the department.

Included in the sponsorship agreement is the payment of salaries of 54 provincial inspectors for a period of three years, and the maintenance of the sponsored vehicles.

However, after the term has expired, the department will continue with vehicle maintenance and salaries

Butch Hannan

[tec0]

The truth is Eskom makes more than enough money; still they wish to tell the public that they need more and more because it stops there workers from striking and people from complaining when the power goes out or when the bill comes.

With almost 10 million alone on bonuses for the higher management do you honestly think 12 cars is worth mentioning when their profits stand in the Billions per year...


Eskom makes me sick...

[adrianh]

MEC for public works, roads and transport. Dr. Clifford Mkasi thanked Eskom for the 12 patrol vehicles which the state owned enterprise sponsored to enhance traffic law enforcement and operation and visibility on coal road haulage routes.

Guys, slow down a bit. The vehicles are used to protect the "coal road haulage routes" that supply coal to ESKOM power stations. Either ESKOM helps local goverment to protect the routes or ESKOM has to protect the routes itself.

So Pick & Pay shouldn't buy a state of the art torch for the ADT security guard that protects their building.

I think that we must be careful not to see every event through negatively tinted glasses.

[Butch Hannan]

If the department of roads did their job properly this would not be needed. Contracts are awarded to friends who do not know how to build roads properly. Since when do you build a road with one "splash of tar and 1 cm of stone" I can take you to tar roads here in Mpumalanga built twenty years ago with about 5 cm of tar and stone and they are in still pretty good order. This is also in spite of carrying very heavy loads.

I have done well over a million kilometers in the last couple of years on the Mpumalanga roads and most of the problems are due to poor workmanship and maintenance. I have seen roads rebuilt only to have them crumble within a month. Since when do you fix potholes with sand and mud. Somebody has been paid a lot of money to do these jobs.

The ADT Security company should supply "their guard" with whatever he needs to do his job.

Butch Hannan

[adrianh]

Yes this is all true but Pick & Pay still has the right to improve the quality of service that the guard provides and ESKOM has the right to empower the local authority to improve the service that they provide to ESKOM.

[tec0]

Well Eskom's higher management is going to be facing the music soon. When that happens they can kiss there skilled workers goodbye and then it will be a matter of time before the power stations will no longer be capable to generate power.

[adrianh]

My wife worked for ESKOM for 17 years in Transmission Planning and Expansion. The skilled workers left long ago All that happened was that the engineers became consultants and are being paid 5 times as much as they were before.

[Dave A]

It seems ESKOM has a vested interest in making this "investment" - and leveraging the goodwill potential is

But will they get the return they're looking for?

Time will tell, but you have to wonder why there was a "gap" that needed to be filled in the first place.

[tec0]

Eskom has a tendency to invest only in arias that translate to them being a benefactor. Eskom is really just a lousy company. At our local mall we had an Eskom exhibit, it was full of devices to save energy and how it will pay for itself in 7 million years, long after the next ice-age and global warming.

Basically everything will pay for itself, that was the sales pitch and yes you do get some discounts. Still here I am staring at all these products, and I just thought Eskom is so full of BS. The truth is Eskom sold power cheaply to large industries and we the people had to pick up the bill. Eskom demanded higher prices for their services and got it with almost no resistance.

Eskom has 10 million to give as bonuses to higher Management and 12 million to spend on world cup tickets “that was also given to higher Management” but there is no money to pay the people that keeps them running!

Sorry, but it sound more like a horrible comedy then reality. Honestly you are willing to spend over 20 million!!! That is 20 million on people that is not doing their jobs and entertainment but 27 to 30 thousand Eskom workers must be happy with 8% increase regardless that Eskom is directly responsible for pushing up living cost to start with!