The DA is calling on all South Africans to stand up against President Cyril Ramaphosa and the ANC, following recent blackouts in the country.
SA spokesperson on public enterprises, Natasha Mazzone, said recent reports over the weekend about Eskom shenanigans expose how tender irregularities and state capture contributed to the country's latest wave of rolling power blackouts.
"Reports alleged that funds meant for vital maintenance of power plants were diverted to the Kusile power station and other capital expenditure programmes, where looting took place through dodgy tenders. The previous boiler maintenance contract was also reportedly not renewed by Treasury as it was an illegal tender.
"Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan has reportedly stated that funding for maintenance began to disappear five years ago. This is a damning indictment on the failing ANC government and how the ANC-sponsored corruption at Eskom has plunged our country into darkness."
She said the media reports once again prove that the electricity crisis was avoidable and that the ANC’s corruption, tender irregularities and state capture has had a haemorrhaging effect on our economy and has affected the livelihood of millions of South Africans.
"To put it into perspective, for every stage 4 power blackout, around 14.8% of the population or 8.5 million people do not have power. It is therefore abundantly clear that under the current administration the power utility will remain broken. The power utility has been broken by the failing ANC government and they have proven that they are incapable of fixing this crisis.
"As a country, we are still waiting with bated breath for the arrest of those mixed up in corruption, looting of Eskom and other state-owned entities. President Cyril Ramaphosa recently mentioned that allegations of sabotage at Eskom power stations were being investigated, however the only saboteurs at Eskom has been and continues to be, the ANC," she said.
Mazzone added that unlike the ANC, the DA has zero tolerance on corruption, and anyone found guilty of corruption will be jailed.
"On March 29, we call on all South Africans to come out in their numbers to send a clear message to Cyril Ramaphosa and his ANC government that South Africans have had enough of ANC corruption, mismanagement and capture," she said.