I am not a fortune teller, but I can smell from miles away the different approaches that black business lobby groups are taking in the matter of racism allegations against Eskom’s CEO André de Ruyter, who is under pressure to step down barely two years into his tenure to turn around the ailing electricity producer.
The Black Management Forum (BMF) has been leading calls for De Ruyter to be suspended after it said it had received several complaints of racism and abuse of power from employees of the state-owned power generator and its suppliers.
Curiously, the other two powerful lobby groups, the Black Business Council (BBC) and the National African Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NAFCOC), have been silent on the matter, preferring to shy away from public involvement in the bust-up.
Their fence-sitting will not earn them enemies, but their classical keep-your-cards-close-to-your-chest approach is an action in itself, not a non-action. My reading of the situation is that the BBC and NAFCOC are waiting for the findings of an investigation into the matter before weighing in. The investigation will be conducted by a senior counsel appointed by the Eskom board of directors. Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) has said it will await the outcome of the investigation.
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