Public Enterprises Minister Barbara Hogan’s comments on the sale of under-performing public enterprises were condemned by the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) on Thursday.
The NUM said in a statement that it was ”dismayed” by the ”utterances” attributed to Hogan.
On Wednesday the Business Day newspaper reported that Hogan had told a briefing of Parliament’s public enterprises committee that it would be extremely difficult to justify further bail-outs for state companies.
She said there were many other demands on the fiscus.
She indicated that the new administration might be prepared to sell under-performing parastatals, without singling out any of the entities.
”Certainly, I do believe that there is no longer space for state-owned enterprises that are running with huge inefficiencies,” she told the newspaper.
The NUM, however, was perturbed that Hogan’s comments contradicted ”the progressive policies of the African National Congress and of the alliance as a whole”.
It added that her opinion reflected ”her bias towards the Democratic Alliance’s agenda”.
Her comments, the NUM added, were ”in clear opposition to the developmental goals as adopted at the historic Polokwane conference”.
The NUM called on the ANC to call Hogan to order to avoid contradicting the official position of the movement.
”We expect senior cadres like ministers to be conversant with the positions of our movement and to articulate them convincingly,” said NUM general secretary Frans Baleni.
The union called upon Hogan ”to find an appropriate platform and vehicle which is in tune with her remarks and ideology”.
The Times newspaper reported on Thursday that ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe said the minister was ”running ahead” of herself.
”You cannot have a general approach to the privatisation of state-owned enterprises. Only when you have done an assessment will you know what you are talking about.
”You need to strengthen those state assets, not sell them off,” Mantashe said.
Hogan landed in the hot water earlier this year when she was still health minister and publicly criticised the government’s decision to deny the Dalai Lama a visa for South Africa. — Sapa