Business Unity South Africa (Busa) said on Wednesday that it hoped the timeframe for the engineering task team mandated with investigating a host of issues at embattled power producer Eskom could be extended.
The team is set to start its work on Monday and has to deliver its report to public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan within a month.
"Busa recognises that the timeframe that has been announced, of four weeks, underscores the urgency of the situation, but would hope that the mandate can be extended, as required, to ensure that the benefits of such an intervention can be optimised. It is also crucial to receive regular reports from the task team to ensure transparency and appraise all stakeholders of progress," said Busa via an emailed statement.
The organisation said it acknowledged that the intervention was limited to some elements of the nine-point generation turnaround plan, which was one of several required to address the many challenges confronting Eskom. "Busa is currently engaging with the government and other relevant parties to formulate an intervention plan which addresses all key issues."
Said Busa vice-president Martin Kingston: “We have consistently called for the business community to put its shoulder to the wheel by working alongside other social partners in tackling the challenges posed to the economy by Eskom’s current circumstances. This intervention needs to be aligned with other initiatives to maximise the impact of such collaboration.”