Eskom wants South African to pay more for electricity as Stage 5 loadshedding returns

21 November 2022 

ActionSA rejects the contemptable efforts by President Ramaphosa and his spokesperson, Mr Magwenya, to placate South African anger and frustration over rolling blackouts through their regurgitation of the same empty promise that “there are a range of initiatives that are already under way that will make load shedding a thing of the past.” This is frankly insulting to a country that has suffered recurring rolling blackouts since 2008.

This latest briefing from the Presidency comes as Eskom announced that we will face Stage 5 load shedding this week. Moreover, this follows just days after Jan Oberholzer, Eskom Chief Operating Officer, noted that we will continue to be gripped by daily load shedding for at least the next 6 to 12 months.

We have now been besieged by loadshedding for 14 years with the situation getting progressively worse. As we are forced to live with de facto semi-permanent rolling blackouts, on one thing I can agree with Mr Magwenya – it is difficult to remain optimistic when it is patently evident that the ANC government has no plan to end our energy crisis.

Last week, Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, attempted to shift the blame for the crisis while spreading misinformation about the cause. The simple truth is that the ANC government failed to act when the crisis started, and has done little to remedy this over the past 14 years. The hardship this has caused South Africans is unforgivable.

South Africans are resilient people who can withstand great adversity. But the current situation is untenable. Now Eskom further wants to compound the effects of loadshedding with a 32% increase in the tariff it charges its end users. The people of South Africa, having come out of nearly dilapidating lockdown, should not have to endure further hardship.

We urge the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) to consider the adversity experienced by the people of South Africa when reviewing Eskom’s request for a 32% increase in tariffs. In fact, Eskom’s application should be rejected with the contempt it deserves. We cannot be made to pay for horrendous historical decisions of those appointed by the ruling party to purposely mismanage the country’s state-owned entities. It would be irresponsible for the government to expect us to pay more for less (electricity).

Eskom needs to fix its operational challenges and introduce new generation capacity speedily. The running of Eskom needs to be depoliticised and the engagement of Independent Power Producers needs to continue with a sense of urgency.

More importantly, the incompetent and corrupt ANC must be removed from power. It is clear that as long as the ANC is in power, there will be no end to rolling black outs. The only way to end this crisis is to end the ANC’s stranglehold over South Africa.

Issued by Herman Mashaba, President, AcitonSA, 21 November 2022