Page 12 - AfrElec Week 02 2023

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South Africa could face even

higher stages of rolling blackouts

in 2023, energy analyst warns

SOUTH AFRICA SOUTH Africa could be looking at higher stages executive officer Andre de Ruyter, SABC News
of load shedding (rolling blackouts) imposed reported. The alleged cyanide poisoning took
by struggling national power utility Eskom as place in December 2022, when the CEO drank a
things get back to normal following the festive cup of coffee in his office.
season shutdown of industries, according to Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gord-
energy analyst Lungile Mashele. han told Reuters the incident “will be thor-
On Monday (January 9), President Cyril oughly investigated.” Without giving any details,
Ramaphosa announced a resolution adopted by Gordhan said an intense battle was taking place
the governing African National Congress (ANC) “between those who want South Africa to work
at its national conference last week. Under the and thrive and those who want to corruptly
resolution the energy department will take over enrich themselves.”
responsibility for overseeing Eskom, bneIn- Faced with political pressure, De Ruyter
tellinews reported. resigned on December 14. He led a compa-
The heavily indebted state-owned enterprise ny-wide clampdown on corruption and organ-
(SOE), which supplies more than 90% of South ised criminal behaviour, including sabotage of
Africa’s electricity, has been failing to meet the infrastructure, at Eskom plants. His last day in
nation’s power demand since 2008. Eskom office will be March 31.
imposed a record 205 days of rolling blackouts Some energy analysts and researchers believe
in 2022 as its old coal-fired plants continued to that the alleged attempt on De Ruyter’s life could
break down. make it even more difficult for the power utility
“I don’t think anybody anticipated the 205 to find his replacement and further escalate the
days, even if you look at Eskom’s estimates – they country’s energy crisis, writes SABC News.
had told us that in winter already that worst case According to Hilton Trollip, a research fellow
we are looking at about 100- days, and it was far at the Global Risk Governance Programme at
more than that,” Mashele told SABC News. the University of Cape, political meddling and
“I certainly don’t think things are going to get governance issues make it difficult for manage-
better in 2023 either,” she added. “We are already ment to execute their duties.
on Stage 4, people are only going back to work “It doesn’t matter who they are, they don’t get
now, children are only going back to school and the kind of support they need from government.
industry is starting to open up by next week, we They get mixed messages. This is why they have
will be looking at back where we were just before been so many CEOs. There is a new CEO every
that shutdown in December.” year since 2014. De Ruyter has been there the
Meanwhile, Eskom on Sunday (January longest,” Trollip was quoted by SABC News as
8) said police were investigating whether an saying.™
attempt was made to poison its outgoing chief

P12 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 02 11•January•2023