29 May 2015
The South African Communist Party (SACP) in the Western Cape welcomes the decisive action taken by the Minister of Energy, Ms Tina Joemat-Petterson, and the Central Energy Fund (CEF) against three senior managers (CEO Ms Nosizwe Nokwe-Macamo, CFO Ms Lindiwe Mthimunye-Bakoro and acting vice-president of upstream operations Mr Andrew Dippenaar) at PetroSA.
The SACP in the Province is of the firm belief that this is a well informed and long overdue decision. This action against the three executives finds expression in the Party`s past constant reiteration that the company sought to victimise workers for its own managerial blunders and mismanagement. To us, the proposed attempt of retrenchment of PetroSA workers epitomised the dire state of the company.
Whilst the SACP in the Province welcomes this decisive action on the part of the Minister and the CEF, we maintain our unrepentant stance that the current board of PetroSA is at the centre of the company`s spiralling challenges. With the multi-billion Rand Engen acquisition collapsed and all the shady actions associated with Project Ikhwezi, it is the same board that has continued a culture of "golden handshakes" whilst directing the fallout to the expense of workers.
This is the same board that oversaw its former Chairperson Mr Yekani Tenza squandering R83 million. It is the same board that contracted and paid a consultant more than 40 million to legitimise the retrenchment of innocent workers. Again, it is the same board that saw the company at a loose of R1.6 billion as a result of the abuse of supply chain management processes.
The SACP in the Province has confidence in the Minister of Energy to ensure that the current status of PertroSA is investigated and to ensure that collusion with tenderpreneur`s and consultants, as a means to milk the state-owned company, desists.
Furthermore, we call on the Minister to immediately withdraw Section 189 of the Labour Relations Act from being used as a mechanism to retrench PetroSA workers for the company`s executive blunders. Through the SACP`s interaction with the workers of PetroSA, it has become clear that staff morale is at an all time low, uncertainty and concern ought to be addressed through the immediate withdrawal of the use of this Act.
Issued by SACP Western Cape
Enquiries:
Masonwabe Sokoyi - SACP Western Cape Provincial Spokesperson
Cell: 0815846138/ 0765243242
Office: 021 696 2522
Fax: 086 558 2481
Twitter: @SACPWC
Facebook: SACP Western Cape
Email: sacpwc.media@gmail.com