Much of Brown’s focus was on Africa Day and transformation of Eskom coal suppliers, 90% of which are white-owned companies “which have built giant business empires on the back of the guarantees” in these coal contracts.
The aim was to “set about our transformation journey in a climate of the highest ethics and responsibility, quickly, and thus contributing to the reversal of downgrade by ratings agencies in the shortest time”. Claims of corruption, Brown said in her response to the budget debate, were linked to resistance to transformation.
The names of the 27 companies providing coal to Eskom’s coal-fired power stations have been provided to Members of Parliament by Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown, but she has declined to divulge the prices paid to each of these companies for their supplies.
The 27 companies named by the minister as suppliers were:
- Liketh Investments;
- Umcebo Mining;
- HCI Khusela Coal;
- Sudor Coal;
- Stuart Coal;
- Exxaro Coal;
- Keaton Mining;
- Kuyasa Mining;
- Shanduka Coal, whose interests held by Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa are now held in a blind trust;
- Ntshovelo Mining Resources;
- Just Coal CC;
- African Exploration Mining & Finance Corporation, which is a state-owned mining company; Wescoal Mining;
- Hlagisa Mining;
- Perisat Investments;
- Universal Coal Development;
- Vunene;
- Optimum Coal Holdings;
- Iyanga; Lurco Coal;
- Anglo American Thermal Coal SA (Pty) Ltd;
- Anglo American Inyosi Coal;
- Becsa (BHP Billiton Energy Coal South Africa);
- BHP Billiton;
- Optimum Coal Holdings;
- Anglo/Exxaro JV; and
- Xstrata/African Rainbow Minerals JV, which has an interest by billionaire Patrice Motsepe.
