Eskom’s Nyati takes aim at BLSA, BUSA and Tony Leon over "selective morality"

Eskom chairman Mteto Nyati has broken cover with a pointed social media broadside against South Africa's business and political elite, accusing them of believing governance rules apply to everyone except themselves. Nyati singles out BLSA and BUSA for lobbying to strip Eskom of its transmission assets while claiming to champion board independence, and takes a direct shot at Tony Leon over Resolve Communications' alleged influence-peddling with DA ministers. His message: those who "lecture on ethical standards" can't apply them selectively. It's a rare public intervention from an SOE chairman, landing squarely inside an already bruising DA-Resolve controversy..By Jan Vermeulen.Eskom chairman Mteto Nyati said there is an apparent belief among business and political leaders in South Africa that rules and ethical standards that apply to others do not apply to them. “I have served long enough in leadership to recognise a troubling pattern. Too many among South Africa’s elite — black and white — appear to believe the rules that govern the rest of us do not apply to them.”In a recent social media post, Nyati said that as chairman of a state-owned enterprise, he is regularly approached by business leaders asking him to intervene in operational or procurement matters.“When I explain that my role is governance and oversight, not management, they say they understand. Yet the requests continue. This reveals a belief that exceptions exist for the connected few.”Nyati took aim at two business groups for their advocacy on Eskom’s transmission network assets, and at former Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Tony Leon over allegations against his PR firm.He said it was striking to see Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) and Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) actively advocate for political intervention to transfer Eskom’s transmission assets.There is a deep policy and ideological rift regarding how the unbundling of Eskom should proceed as part of a push to liberalise South Africa’s electricity sector.Electricity and energy minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, and Eskom itself, have fought to keep as much of the state-owned power utility’s vertical integration intact as possible.In a statement in December 2025, Ramokgopa approved a “revised unbundling strategy” that still split Eskom into distribution, generation, renewable energy, and transmission units under a single holding company.However, under this revised plan, Eskom would retain ownership of the grid, rather than transferring it to an independent transmission system operator.The statement contrasted with earlier plans to separate the company into three stand-alone units, as Ramaphosa proposed in 2019.During his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on 12 February 2026, President Cyril Ramaphosa overruled Ramokgopa and stripped him of his autonomy to oversee the process.Ramaphosa said the new transmission system operator would be a fully independent, state-owned company that would own and control the transmission assets.To resolve the conflict between the subsidiary and full independence models, a National Energy Crisis Committee (NECOM) task team was established.This team was expected to report back in May 2026 with a final roadmap on how to move the assets out of Eskom without collapsing its balance sheet.However, the Eskom Restructuring Task Team failed to meet the deadline, and Ramaphosa extended it to 30 June. As of 1 July, no further details have been released.It is within this context that Nyati is criticising advocacy from BLSA and BUSA for the government to take steps they argue would be pro-business and foster economic growth.“These are the same bodies that insist on corporate governance and board independence. Where, then, is the role of the Eskom board? What exactly do they believe in?”Tony Leon and Resolve Communications.Nyati said recent allegations involving former Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Tony Leon being involved in influence operations through a PR firm he co-founded were equally concerning.“Senior figures within his own party, including John Steenhuisen and Dion George, have raised issues that appear to involve conflicts of interest and undue influence,” said Nyati.“This from a voice that has long lectured on ethical standards and clean governance. Do these rules apply to everyone, or only when politically convenient? Selective morality is not morality at all.”Steenhuisen gave a tell-all interview to News24 in the lead-up to a Cabinet reshuffle, making several explosive allegations against DA ministers and former DA leader Tony Leon.In particular, Steenhuisen alleged that Leon exploited his connections to arrange meetings between government officials and private companies.This included the PR firm co-founded by Leon, Resolve Communications, seeking to set up meetings between Starlink and communications minister Solly Malatsi, a DA MP.Resolve Communications rejected Steenhuisen’s allegations of impropriety, stating that while it assists its clients in making their case, it does not direct the decisions of independent ministers and officials.“Every final decision rests with those independent public representatives, exactly as it should. Facilitating stakeholder engagement on matters of public policy is not a conflict of interest.”It said the allegations that Leon was exploiting his knowledge of the DA and government departments to connect ministers with clients were false, and that the meetings did not constitute a conflict of interest.“The suggestion that their experience and understanding of government constitutes an improper advantage is wrong. Every professional in every field draws on their background and expertise.”Rules for me but not for thee.Nyati said that when those who position themselves as guardians of good governance apply different standards to themselves, public trust erodes.“But South Africans are watching. We see the inconsistencies. We now know where people stand,” he said..Read more:.Nersa faces backlash over R54bn Eskom error and hidden settlement.“The path forward requires courage. We must expose wrongdoing wherever it occurs without fear or favour. We must demand that those who preach accountability live it consistently.”Nyati said South Africans must insist that rules bind the powerful as they bind ordinary citizens, and must model the ethical society they want to build.“South Africa does not lack good people. What we need is the collective will to insist that principle applies to all,” he said.“Let us find that courage. Let us call out double standards and build a nation where no one is above the law. That is the South Africa worth fighting for.”.This article was first published by MyBroadband and is republished with permission..Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox every morning on weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa's bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here. 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Eskom’s Nyati takes aim at BLSA, BUSA and Tony Leon over "selective morality"

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