State-owned enterprises were being turned into "slaughterhouses" for black professionals such as Eskom chief executive Jacob Maroga, the Black Management Forum (BMF) said on Thursday.
The BMF said in a statement following the announcement of Maroga's resignation that this "appalling trend" showed a total disregard for transformation of the socio-economic landscape.
Maroga had experienced a fate similar to the SABC's Dali Mpofu and Transnet heir-apparent Siyabonga Gama.
"We reiterate that pushing experienced Africans to leave these positions is aimed at destroying institutional memory and experiences of Africans in the economy so that they remain at the bottom of the economic pyramid," it said.
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| 'The time has come for renewal' |
However, Jaco Kleynhans, spokesperson for the union Solidarity, said Maroga had simply not been able to manage the electricity supplier efficiently.
"The time has come for renewal in Eskom's management and that is exactly why Maroga's resignation is welcomed," he said.
The Freedom Front Plus also welcomed Maroga's resignation, saying it would restore stability at Eskom and attract investors.
"His resignation will bring more certainty and investors will be more interested in South Africa now.
"Workers, and middle and senior managers at Eskom will also be more motivated to do their work," spokesperson Pieter Groenewald said.
| 'He has proven himself to be incompetent' |
Maroga should not be given a golden handshake as he did not deserve any bonus.
"He has proven himself to be incompetent. We also call on government to not redeploy Maroga in any other public enterprise as chief executive officer," Groenewald said.
The Independent Democrats said that given the persistence of problems at Eskom, Maroga had done the "honourable thing" by resigning.
Lance Greyling, the party energy spokesperson, said the resignation was, however, not a solution to Eskom's crisis.
"We need a far more transparent and accountable energy governance system in South Africa, which will thoroughly scrutinise the actions of Eskom and involve all South Africans in deciding on our future energy choices."
The Congress of the People (COPE) said that while many saw Maroga's resignation as a potential turning point in Eskom's fortunes, it was less optimistic.
Maroga alone could not be blamed for the state of affairs at the energy company.
"The government does not seem to have the will nor the incentive to change the outdated legislation and policy framework for energy," the party said in a statement.
This, particularly when it came to deregulation of the energy sector and addressing pressing problems like climate change and closing the gap between the rich and the poor, said spokesperson Philip Dexter.
Reports of a leadership struggle within Eskom were also discouraging.
"We are also yet to hear of a golden handshake to Jacob Maroga which will inevitably come in the next few days - a further burden on the taxpayer," the party said. - Sapa
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