Govt is determined to keep lights on

Cape Town – Deputy President Paul Mashatile has reassured South Africans that the government is committed to resolving the issue of load shedding, following warnings from the struggling power utility, Eskom.

Eskom has predicted that power cuts could reach Stage 8 and continue until August due to a shortfall in generation capacity.

“Government is determined to keep the lights on, apart from appointing the minister of electricity,” EWN quoted Mashatile as saying.

Mashatile made these remarks on Thursday during a visit to an agriculture institution in KwaZulu-Natal, where he acknowledged the negative impact of power cuts on businesses, particularly chicken farmers.

Despite previous announcements and the appointment of a new minister for electricity, the government’s efforts have not alleviated the ongoing power cuts.

Mashatile, however, said that the government is actively working to address the issue, including the purchase of emergency power, according to IOL.

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He expressed hope that Eskom’s emergency procurement programs will bring relief to South Africans suffering from load shedding.

“Apart from appointing the minister of electricity, we have announced we are now embarking on procuring emergency power. We have also indicated that in some instances we will use diesel to keep the lights on, but we are also encouraging the private sector to come in and invest in this sector,” said Mashatile, adding that the government was still committed to renewable energy.

“We are determined to make sure that as we go forward we reduce the challenge of load shedding as much as we can. We are doing a lot and will keep making announcements.

“We have encouraged industry to look at solar systems and procure that. Government is prepared to subsidise there as well,” Mashatile said.

His comments came after Eskom issued a statement warning of severe constraints in the country’s power system and a high risk of increased load shedding during winter.

Eskom said it has 3 000 MW less power available this winter compared to the previous year.

If unplanned outages reach 18 000 MW, stage 8 load shedding becomes highly likely, Cassim said.

#Eskom Acting CEO Calib Cassim says the likelihood of #stage8 #loadshedding is very high this winter if the interventions planned for the cold weather season don’t yield the desired outcomes. #Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/Xu9Z544l9b

— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) May 18, 2023

“If the interventions that we have planned for the winter do not achieve the desired outcomes and your unplanned outages reach levels of 18 000MW, then the likelihood of stage 8 load shedding during peaks is extremely high,” acting Eskom CEO Calib Cassim said.

But ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula remained optimistic that load shedding would be eliminated by December.

But speaking during an interview with eNCA, Mbalula remained confident that load shedding will be resolved decisively by the end of the year.

“I know from where I’m sitting [and] from the work that is being done by government and ministers and so on [that] before the end of the year, load shedding should be something of the past…

“I can assure that load shedding will be reversed and it will be dealt with decisively,” Mbalula said.