Solidarity Union (SU) believes the wrong person resigned, in the wake of Andre de Ruyter quitting as Eskom CEO.
The SU says politicians looked for a scapegoat to hide their own incompetence and exerted pressure on De Ruyter.
De Ruyter was the eleventh Eskom CEO since 2009.
"The resignation of André de Ruyter will deepen the Eskom crisis and will not alleviate it. The problem at Eskom is not the CEO’s operational will but the government’s political will. The best person in the country can be appointed to the position but the current political dispensation makes it an impossible task for the person," the SU said in a statement.
Earlier on Wednesday, IOL reported that De Ruyter tendered his resignation amid rumours of mismanagement and incompetency.
De Ruyter stood on the oxygen line feeding corruption. Those who wanted to loot more exerted the most pressure for him to resign. De Ruyter was a real danger for those corrupt elements.
Calling for drastic political changes, the SU said the current government and the ministers involved didn’t have the ability to bring about the political changes that were required.
"We need all statutory restrictions, limiting power generation both within and outside Eskom, to be removed. There must be incentives for private power generators. Skills must be a criterion for appointment and promotion must be reintroduced without racial bias.
“Saboteurs and criminals must be prosecuted actively. New capacity needs to be created and capacity must be created to undertake preventative maintenance," the SU said.
It added that almost all of these changes required political will. The government’s political will was gone.
"The current political dispensation is the an obstacle for Eskom’s turnaround, and it is political heads that must roll," the SU said.
Meanwhile, Action SA's Herman Mashaba said the blame of Eskom's failure laid squarely at the feet of Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe, as well as Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan and President Cyril Ramaphosa.
"It was not De Ruyter’s fault that Eskom was over years hollowed out. His resignation will trigger further instability at Eskom as a replacement is sought while South Africans suffer under the national disaster of load shedding, which costs jobs, and leads to a rise in criminal behaviour," Mashaba said.
Eskom has said De Ruyter will remain at the helm until March next year.
IOL