OUTA: Eskom exemption withdrawal a win for civil society
The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse says the ending of state of disaster on electricity and the withdrawal of Eskom's Public Finance Management Act exemption are a big win for civil society.
The state of disaster was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa during his State of the Nation Address in February as part of government's effort to deal with load shedding.
This week, it also emerged that Treasury had allowed Eskom to not disclose wasteful, irregular and fruitless expenditures.
READ: Simultaneous decision on Eskom state of disaster, exemption U-turn ‘pure coincidence’
OUTA CEO Wayne Duvenage says both these decisions were challenged.
"They are not putting the bigger picture into these decisions that citizen's interest at heart into these decisions. So it really does not bode well for government when they make significant decisions of this nature and then have to go back on them.
"It sends a message of inconsistency and really not thinking through what the implications of these decisions are. So good news for civil society and I think this is stuff we need to celebrate."
