



Right from the beginning of his tenure as ANC President in 2007 and that of South Africa in 2009, Zuma knew the significance of SOEs.

While acutely aware of their role as catalysts for shared economic growth and transformation, Zuma and his ministers allowed SOEs to slide into crisis. Key SOEs Eskom, South African Airways (SAA), Denel and Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) have been limping from one crisis to another.





While the respective SOEs had their respective line departments, the rot at these institutions happened under Zuma’s nose. In August 2016, the government announced that Zuma would directly oversee the strategy of state-owned companies and any government intervention made in them through the creation of the special presidential state-owned enterprise co-ordinating council that he would chair.



