Riaan 
Kwake kwaba umthombo wokuziqhenya kwesizwe – ifemu eyazuza imiklomelo eyanika amandla ekuthuthukisweni kwezimayini eNingizimu Afrika futhi kamuva yaletha ugesi emiphakathini yabantu abamnyama eyashiywa wubandlululo.
Namuhla, ngemva kweminyaka eyikhulu kwazalwa, u-Eskom uke wehla ngendlela emangalisayo.
Isikhondlakhondla senkampani yezamandla eNingizimu Afrika sikhutshazwe yizikweletu, sikhungethwe amahlazo enkohlakalo futhi asikwazi ukugcina izibani zikhanya.
Imindeni kanye namabhizinisi bacasulwa ukunqanyulwa kukagesi okuyirekhodi okubekwe yile nhlangano, ehlinzeka cishe ngamaphesenti angama-90 kagesi wezwe.
“Kubantu baseNingizimu Afrika namuhla, (u-Eskom) umele umthombo wokukhungatheka okukhulu nokuhlekwa usulu,” kusho uKyle Cowan, umbhali wencwadi. Ukucekela phansiincwadi echaza ngezinkinga zakwa-Eskom.
I-tweet yangoLwesithathu yokubungaza iminyaka eyikhulu yasungulwa le nhlangano ifingqe umoya omuncu.
“Sithemba ukuthi uzolijabulela ikhekhe esikwenzele lona,” lisho, lihambisana nesithombe sesitsha esinenhlama yamakhekhe aluhlaza – engaphekwanga ngenxa yokucima kukagesi.
U-Eskom uzigqaja ngomlando wawo omude, ohambisana kakhulu nowaseNingizimu Afrika yesimanje.
Iwebhusayithi yayo ikhumbuza abafundi ukuthi “abantu basedolobheni elihle laseKimberley,” indawo ethandwa kakhulu yezimayini zedayimane, babephakathi kwabokuqala emhlabeni ukuthola izibani zikagesi zasemgwaqweni – ngisho nokuphatha “ukushaya iLondon kuyo”.
U-Eskom wasungulwa ngoMashi 1, 1923 njengeKhomishana Yokuhlinzeka Ngogesi (ESCOM), ejutshwe ukukhulisa izimboni nemisebenzi yezimayini.
Igolide lalitholakele lapho iGoli lalizokhula khona, futhi izimayini zazidinga amandla amaningi ukuze zisebenze.
Ukugijima kwamalahle
Iziteshi ezikhanyiswa ngamalahle zaqala ukuvela ezweni lonke futhi zanda zaba ziningi phakathi namashumi eminyaka.
Nokho kwaba khona ukubanjwa.
Konke lokhu kwakuhlomulisa kakhulu abantu abamhlophe, abantu abamnyama baseNingizimu Afrika behlukaniswa futhi benganakwa uhulumeni wobandlululo.
Ngo-1987 ngamaphesenti angu-40 kuphela abantu ababenogesi.
Ukhetho lokuqala lwentando yeningi ngo-1994 lwalandelwa wukucindezela kokufaka ugesi ezindlini eziyizigidi, nokugcina amanani kagesi ephansi.
Lo mzamo omkhulu waze wawina indondo yakwa-Eskom ngo-2001.
Kodwa akuzange kusekelwe umthamo owengeziwe, into eyabeka izisekelo zezinkinga zanamuhla, kusho uCowan.
Iziteshi eziningi zikagesi zindala kuneminyaka engama-45, futhi ziyaphuka njalo zishiya abantu baseNingizimu Afrika bengenazo izibani amahora afinyelela kwayi-12 ngosuku.
“U-Eskom awuphathwa ngendlela efanele,” kusho uCowan.
UNgqongqoshe wezeziMali, u-Enoch Godongwana, uvumile ukuthi u-Eskom unenkinga, wagqamisa ku-AFP “isimo sezikweletu, esenza kube nzima ukuhamba ngesivinini, ikakhulukazi ukuthuthukisa izimboni zabo.”
Ngo-1998, iphepha likahulumeni laxwayisa izwe ukuthi lisengozini yokuphelelwa ugesi phakathi neminyaka eyishumi ngaphandle uma kwakhiwe izimboni ezintsha.
Kodwa lesi seluleko asizange silalelwe kwaze kwaba umzuzu wokugcina, into owayengumongameli uThabo Mbeki azoxolisa ngayo kamuva.
‘Cyanide’
U-Eskom waqala ukwakha iziteshi ezimbili ezintsha ezisebenza ngamalahle ngo-2007, okuwunyaka okwaqalwa ngawo ukunqanyulwa kukagesi.
Kodwa izitshalo ezintsha zahlushwa ukubambezeleka kokusebenza, izinkinga zokuklama nezokwakha, ukweqiwa kwezindleko ezinkulu kanye nezinsolo zokuxhunyelelwa.
Ngaphansi kobuholi bukaMnuz Jacob Zuma, u-Eskom uzithole usesikhungweni sodaba lwenkohlakalo.
Izigidi zamarandi kuthiwa zaqolwa ngezinkontileka zomgunyathi ukuze zifunjathiswe.
Ngonyaka odlule, owayeyi-CEO waboshelwa ukushushumbisa imali nokukhwabanisa.
NgoFebhuwari, isikhulu sale nkampani esiphumayo u-Andre de Ruyter waqhathanisa inkohlakalo kwa-Eskom nomdlavuza “osukhule” futhi “wakhula kuwo wonke umzimba wenhlangano.”
Kwesinye isigameko esibuhlungu, inkampani ibikhokha u-R80 000 umuntu ngamunye ngonogada bamadolo abadayiswa ezitolo ngo-R300, esho.
Imizamo yokukhuculula le nkampani ibhekene nengwadla yangaphakathi, etshela umsakazi wendawo i-eNCA, wengeza ngokuthi wazama ukudlisa ushevu ngoDisemba, ephuza ikhofi eline-cyanide.
Emuva kwamahora ngemuva kwenhlolokhono, lapho esole khona iqembu elibusayo i-ANC ngokubandakanyeka ezenzweni ezimbi, wacelwa ukuba ashiye isikhundla sakhe singakafiki isikhathi.
U-Eskom ube nezikhulu eziphezulu ezingaphezu kweshumi kule minyaka engu-15 edlule.
“Inkohlakalo akusona isizathu esenze ukuthi kuqale inkinga kagesi, kodwa yisizathu esikhulu esenza ukuthi ingakaxazululeki,” kusho uRoula Inglesi-Lotz, uprofesa wezomnotho eNyuvesi yasePitoli.
Khonamanjalo imigomo kahulumeni okuhloswe ngayo ukuvikela imboni yamalahle yezwe, eqashe abantu abacela ku-100,000, ivimbe ukukhishwa kwemishini evuselelekayo.
Umkhawulo wokuthola amalayisense wemiklamo yangasese yokuphehla ugesi ususwe ngonyaka odlule kuphela.
Izinyunyana zabasebenzi ziye zahlehla ngokumelene nezinhlelo zokuthuthukisa ukutshalwa kwezimali kwangasese kumandla aluhlaza kanye nokuhlukanisa ukubusa kube izigaba ezihlukene zokukhiqiza, ukudluliswa nokusabalalisa.
U-Eskom uqashe abasebenzi abangaphezu kuka-30 000.
UMengameli uCyril Ramaphosa usanda kumemezela isimo senhlekelele kuzwelonke emzamweni wokubhekana nenkinga kagesi.
Abantu abaningi baseNingizimu Afrika abathemba ukuthi lokhu kungasiza ukuletha impumuzo, bangase baphoxeke.
“Azikho izilungiso ezisheshayo,” kusho u-Inglesi-Lotz.
