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WORLD NEWS Friday 14 February 2020
South Africa seeks more renewable energy amid power cuts

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME clear solutions for the coun-
Associated Press try's pressing issues. Many
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — state-owned enterprises,
South Africa's president including South African Air-
said Thursday the coal-de- ways, now rely on govern-
pendent country will turn to ment bailouts for survival.
more renewable energy as "After years of ... corruption
one way to help ease pow- and mismanagement, we
er cuts that have "severely are working to ensure that
set back" efforts to rebuild all SOEs are able to fulfil
the weak economy. But he their developmental man-
warned of more blackouts date and be financially
in the immediate future. sustainable," the president
South Africans have been said.
outraged by rolling power The economy remains
cuts in the current mid-sum- grim. "Low levels of growth
mer that also have worried mean that we are not gen-
investors. The country relies erating enough revenue
on coal for some 77% of to meet our expenses, our
power needs, according debt is heading towards
to the department of ener- unsustainable levels and
gy, and some citizens were spending is misdirected
astounded when officials towards consumption and
blamed "wet coal" in part debt-servicing rather than
for the blackouts. infrastructure and produc-
The outages are just the lat- tive activity," Ramaphosa
est grievance in a country said. "We cannot continue
with 29% unemployment, along this path."
widespread corruption He promised not to let up
and certain state-owned in the fight against corrup-
companies teetering on South African President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers his State of the Nation Address in Cape Town, tion but acknowledged
the edge of collapse. The South Africa, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020. that efforts so far have "not
economy is estimated to Associated Press been enough to free our
grow by less than 1% this economy from the grim in-
year, and more than half we will be implementing scandal and has vowed to of people. heritance of our past, nor
of young people are with- measures that will funda- turn around the economy But Ramaphosa faces from the mistakes that we
out jobs. mentally change the tra- and create jobs for millions growing calls to provide ourselves have made."q
President Cyril Ramapho- jectory of energy genera-
sa's speech was delayed tion in our country," Rama-
by an hour and a half as phosa said.
lawmakers with the popu- Among the solutions the
list Economic Freedom government is pursuing is
Fighters party told him to sit allowing commercial and
down and argued that the industrial users to generate
public enterprises minister, their own electricity and
Pravin Gordhan, should allowing municipalities to
step down. purchase electricity from
"We can't gather like nor- independent power pro-
mal here when things are ducers. South Africa also
abnormal," EFF spokesman will purchase more from ex-
Mbuyiseni Ndlozi called isting wind and solar plants.
out. Party members later "We undertake this de-
walked out of the cham- cisive shift in our energy
ber. trajectory at a time when
Ramaphosa quickly ac- humankind faces its great-
knowledged South Africa's est existential threat in the
problems. "Our economy form of climate change,"
has not grown at any the president said, and he
meaningful rate for over a vowed to finalize the Cli-
decade," he said, and "our mate Change Bill with its
public finances are under framework to reduce the
severe pressure." country's vulnerability to
The president warned that global warming.
the "debilitating" power Ramaphosa's term that
blackouts will continue as began when the ruling Af-
the struggling power util- rican National Congress
ity, Eskom, makes needed won last year's elections
changes including long- with its weakest victory
delayed maintenance. ever has been challenging.
"Over the next few months He has promised to eradi-
as Eskom works to restore cate corruption after his
its operational capabilities, predecessor resigned amid