A good week for Gavin Hurford
Gavin Hurford has emerged as an unsung hero of South Africa’s fragile power supply. Former Eskom CEO André de Ruyter revealed that during his time as head of the utility, Hurford prevented a nationwide blackout. Hurford, who was Eskom’s system operator, “should get some sort of medal for managing the system”, said De Ruyter. Those operating the national grid, he said, do not get the credit they deserve. He said the near-collapse earlier this year of Spain’s power supply could have been caused by a system operator “being asleep at the wheel”.
A bad week for Prince Tshabalala
Rear-Admiral Prince Tshabalala had to scramble for excuses to explain why the cash-strapped South African National Defence Force held a golf tournament when its budget was already overwhelmed. He said the event was for “stakeholder involvement and community outreach”. He said no taxpayer money was involved, then added that the golf day fell within the defence force budget, which is funded by taxpayers. The tournament was held at the weekend at one of the most luxurious golf courses in the country, and “key personnel” were flown in to Mossel Bay and their hotel costs paid.
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