By Betha Madhomu
Cape Town – President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned against complacency, despite South Africa achieving its longest period without load shedding since 2020.
“While this is a welcomed milestone, it is not a reason to relax.
“Our electricity system remains vulnerable and we cannot yet rule out a possibility of further load shedding.
“Rather, this milestone provides encouragement for us to do more and to work faster to ensure a secure supply of electricity now and into the future,” Ramaphosa said in his weekly newsletter on Monday.
He added: “We have seen real progress in the implementation of the Energy Action Plan (EAP), which we initiated in July 2022, and are now witnessing some of the results of the cooperation between government, business and other social partners.”
Last Friday, South Africa reached 100 consecutive days without load shedding.
Ramaphosa praised Eskom’s enhanced Generation Operational Recovery Plan, noting significant improvements in power station performance.
“The improvement in the reliability of power supply has been a relief for households, who have been able to go about their daily lives without the inconvenience of load shedding. It has also been a great relief for businesses,” he said.
Last week, Eskom commissioned Unit 5 at Kusile Power Station ahead of schedule, adding 800MW to the grid. This means Eskom has returned three units at Kusile to service ahead of schedule.
For us to continue to implement the Energy Action Plan and support the hard-working management and staff of Eskom, who are day by day helping to bring us out of this crisis, we must all pull in the same direction.
https://t.co/ZQhtkrPumu pic.twitter.com/4a7k97yCC0— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) July 8, 2024
Ramaphosa praised this development and said: “The improvement in the reliability of power supply has been a relief for households, who have been able to go about their daily lives without the inconvenience of load shedding. It has also been a great relief for businesses.”
The president cited the Bureau for Economic Research (BER) index, showing increased consumer confidence in the second quarter of this year due to the cessation of load shedding. This uptick is crucial for the national economy, which hinges on dependable electricity supply to foster growth.
“There is cause for optimism that business and investor confidence will improve. Earlier this month, steelmaker ArcelorMittal announced that it would not go ahead with plans to close its operations in Newcastle and Vereeniging, citing improvements in the country’s electricity and logistics situations as among the factors behind its decision,” said Ramaphosa.
In its April Monetary Policy Review, the South African Reserve Bank highlighted that improving electricity supply, bolstered by private investment in renewable energy and increased Eskom maintenance, is expected to enhance South Africa’s near and medium-term growth prospects.
Ramaphosa emphasised the importance of implementing energy and logistics reforms for economic improvement.
“We are committed to continue and complete the far-reaching structural reforms we started during the sixth administration to resolve the immediate electricity supply challenges and lay the groundwork for energy security into the future.
“The latest milestone reached in the structural reform journey is the commencement of trading last week of the National Transmission Company South Africa, which will own and operate the country’s national electricity transmission system,” said Ramaphosa.
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