Parliament slams 'reckless, irresponsible' Eskom board after Scopa no-show

An angry parliament has lashed out at Eskom's board after it failed to appear at a scheduled meeting on Tuesday.

The Eskom board was meant to appear before the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) to present an update from the embattled power utility following a visit and recommendations made last year.

Eskom chief executive Andre de Ruyter and other executives were present at the meeting, and Scopa wants the board to explain its no-show.

"The committee is concerned with the reckless, irresponsible and careless manner in which the board elected not to appear before it as there was no apology and no explanation sent to the committee. This is very concerning to Scopa as the board is the accounting authority. Furthermore, this is an interim board tasked with assisting Eskom to turn things around," committee chair Mkhuleko Hlengwa said in a statement.

He described the no-show as "inexcusable and unacceptable and it exposes the fact that there is no proper oversight at Eskom".

At the meeting, EWN reported, De Ruyter said that while maintenance meant load-shedding was likely for the next 18 months, it would ensure a more reliable energy supply in the future.

A follow-up meeting has been scheduled for March 4 at 6pm.

TimesLIVE has reached out to Eskom for comment about the board's failure to appear. This story will be updated when a response is received.