Failure to grasp political sensitivities around the corruption and financial malfeasance-wracked Eskom being exempted from reporting irregular spending and criminal conduct losses shows the government's lack of capacity, inability to communicate and floundering strategic leadership. Ditto, on the electricity State of Disaster flip-flop.

All that's being withdrawn is the current version of the Eskom exemption from reporting irregular, wasteful and fruitless expenditure and losses from criminal conduct in its audited financial statement. A new exemption will be reissued, after further consultations.

"Yes, I am confirming the withdrawal. By [Thursday] we'll have a Gazette withdrawing the current one. That I can confirm. The other confirmation is that we definitely will come back," Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana on Wednesday told four finance-related parliamentary committees -- but only after opposition MPs pressed for details of the so-called withdrawal.

This underscores the trend of fudgy government communication -- seemingly hedged on factional winds of the governing ANC and political optics -- abetted by ANC MPs. Routinely, ANC study groups are called for ministers, and sometimes also officials, to brief governing party legislators and to coordinate questions and approaches. This would definitely have happened on a matter that caused such public outcry as Eskom's reporting exemption; the finance minister, and perhaps others, would have briefed MPs.

During Wednesday's parliamentary committee session, ANC MP Thandi Tobias-Pokolo invoked Eskom's status as a National Key Point, also directing the extent of information shared. Later, ANC MP Xolisile Qayiso interjected to call...