We want clear benchmarks and monthly updates, which are not prompted by higher stages of load-shedding. That would at least assure the public that in two years the energy crisis would be a thing of the past.
Meanwhile, the Sunday Times reported that labour federations were gearing up for the worst as businesses had indicated that the outages could lead to less shifts, salary freezes and even retrenchments.
We call on the government and Eskom to look for interim solutions to avoid load-shedding as we cannot afford further job losses. We are still trying to recover from Covid-19 job losses and more cuts would be disastrous.
While Eskom battles with the worsening power crisis, it has not come up with a name for De Ruyter’s replacement as he leaves in April. Makwana said yesterday the board would “do its best” to unveil a new CEO by the end of March.
That is not good enough. That is a crucial position, which needs to be filled sooner. De Ruyter resigned last year and by now the recruitment process should be at an advanced stage.
This is a crisis, and finding a new CEO must be done with urgency.
SOWETAN | Energy plan must illuminate SA’s future
Image: 123RF/ginasanders
The government better ensure that its turnaround energy plan, unveiled last year and expected to be implemented in two years, will indeed be ready in 2025.
Then living and working about enduring power outages for the next two years would not have been in vain.
Eskom chairman Mpho Makwana and CEO Andre de Ruyter yesterday announced that stages 2 and 3 load-shedding would be permanent over the next two years.
Makwana said this was required to allow the power utility time to maintain its aged systems and to reach some sort of blackout stability for South Africans.
However, De Ruyter added that the planned permanent stages would not guarantee that higher stages of load-shedding will not be implemented.
Eskom said there was 558MW available privately for purchase and it would be added to the grid as soon as agreements were finalised.
As we psych yourselves up for the reality of living with permanent outages, we ask for transparency in the turnaround plan announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in July.
Fixing SA’s energy crisis will ‘take years of doing the right things’
We want clear benchmarks and monthly updates, which are not prompted by higher stages of load-shedding. That would at least assure the public that in two years the energy crisis would be a thing of the past.
Meanwhile, the Sunday Times reported that labour federations were gearing up for the worst as businesses had indicated that the outages could lead to less shifts, salary freezes and even retrenchments.
We call on the government and Eskom to look for interim solutions to avoid load-shedding as we cannot afford further job losses. We are still trying to recover from Covid-19 job losses and more cuts would be disastrous.
While Eskom battles with the worsening power crisis, it has not come up with a name for De Ruyter’s replacement as he leaves in April. Makwana said yesterday the board would “do its best” to unveil a new CEO by the end of March.
That is not good enough. That is a crucial position, which needs to be filled sooner. De Ruyter resigned last year and by now the recruitment process should be at an advanced stage.
This is a crisis, and finding a new CEO must be done with urgency.
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