The Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) visited Tutuka Power Station in Sanderton in Mpumalanga on a fact-finding mission after reports that it is the worst performing in the country and its supply chain management and procurement systems are infiltrated by criminal cartels. Armed members of the South African Defence Force (SANDF) are now stationed on its premises.
At the outset of the meeting between the committee and Tutuka management, the SCOPA Chairperson, Mr Mkhuleko Hlengwa, explained the reason for the visit. “We are here partly to understand why this plant is at 14 to 17% energy generation capacity and why it has been characterised as a crime scene. The allegation of a former general manager who was working at this plant with a bullet-proof vest on and an extension of a threat to his children are one of the issues that brought us here today.”
During the discussion, the committee heard that Tutuka is slowly improving and has started contributing more energy to the grid. Eskom group executive in the generation division Mr Bheki Nxumalo attributed the improved performance to high staff morale. “Yes, there have been bad elements at this plant, but many came to us as management and told us that they want to put their shoulders to the wheel and would do whatever it takes to avert the effect of load shedding on our economy.”
Tutuka’s general manager Mr Bruce Moyo, the decision to shut down the plant between 2030 to 2041 contributed to a lack of scheduled maintenance and the subsequent outages led to a deterioration in energy generation capacity. Mr Moyo attributed the recent improvements in performance to the streamlining of production processes and competencies and matching people’s skills to the right jobs where they can perform optimally.
Questions from SCOPA included one from committee member Ms Benedicta van Minnen about the left of petrol and the quality of the coal used at the plant. In reply, Mr Moyo said they now check the quality of the coal supplied to them and put in place a petrol verification process.
Abel Mputing
20 June 2023
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