20 November 2009 Signal failure By BARNEY MTHOMBOTHI The traffic lights at the entrance to Megawatt Park, the headquarters of Eskom, the beleaguered parastatal, were out of order - on and off - for the better part of last week. It's a fact rich in metaphor.

And if Eskom can't tend to its own backyard, how in heaven's name can it even begin to light up our lives? But the broken lights accurately mirror the power struggle (power being the operative word) that has been taking place within the confines of that concrete jungle - in the dark, as it were, hidden from the public. They also reflect a topsy-turvy contest. The one who initially seemed to be on top was not the one who triumphed in the end. But there are no victors in the debacle, only lessons to be learnt. There are villains aplenty. Bobby Godsell is not one of them. He may have been humiliated by the insults, especially the racial epithets liberally thrown in his direction. But in the end he came out of it looking quite good. His departure is the sort of medicine, a dose of reality, our political establishment needs. Government can't always have its cake and eat it. Too often, good men and women, when confronted by such dilemmas, tend to forget about principle and do what's politically convenient. Godsell has provided some clarity. It would have made an even bigger impact had the Eskom board followed its chairman. It cannot sit on the fence. If it isn't in charge, it has no business sticking around. Managements serve at the pleasure of their respective boards. No other influence should apply. If for whatever reason you fall out of favour with your board, all you can do is negotiate an honourable exit or settlement. It's a point which seems to have escaped heads of parastatals and their political principals. The rot started at the SABC when Dali Mpofu was allowed to defy a board that had lost its political legitimacy following Thabo Mbeki's enforced departure. It suited the new regime to egg Mpofu on, and the result is a bankrupt organisation, denuded of credibility. The disease has spread to other parastatals, where individuals think political connections can protect them from being accountable. The crisis in parastatals has been exacerbated by a confluence of three important factors: a policy vacuum, which seems to mirror economic policy conflicts in the tripartite alliance; the ANC's deployment policy; and Jacob Zuma's tentative leadership style, or lack of direction. Jeff Radebe, as minister of public enterprises in Mbeki's first term, got into an almighty row with then Transnet head Saki Macozoma. Radebe, who forever seems to be messing things up on behalf of government, was dead against privatisation. Alec Erwin banned the word from the dictionary when he took over from Radebe. Restructuring of state assets became the rage. I prefer to blame Zwelinzima Vavi for the debacle at Eskom. Had Vavi and the comrades spoken up in favour of Godsell on that fateful Thursday or Friday, Zuma's backbone would have been stiffened in favour of the board's decision by the time he met Godsell that weekend. Instead, Zuma had to go by what was on offer at the time, which was noisy insults from Julius Malema and Jimmy Manyi's Black Management Forum. Their message was clear: Jacob Maroga was untouchable. Which Zuma duly relayed to Godsell. That, to Godsell, sounded like marching orders. By Monday, when Vavi & Co were roused into action, the damage had already been done. But we are the wiser for having gone through such a crisis. It clarifies matters. It has hopefully dealt a fatal blow to the naivete and arrogance of those in government who tend to see parastatals as a training ground, if not a nest egg, for themselves and their friends. It should also encourage other boards to assert themselves.