Blackout: Coal, corruption and cyanide
The Slow Newscast
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The Rise of Corruption in South Africa
During Mandela's time as president, South Africa was the emblem of racial reconciliation. After him, it became synonymous with sleaze. Eskom introduced a policy of buying coal only from mines that were majority black owned. The extension of electricity to black communities was one of the fastest electrification projects in history. But many of these municipalities struggled to pay and defaulted on their accounts. So inflated contracts would be distributed to people who may have political or other connections, but not have the capacity to provide the service that was offered.
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