While every attempt has been made to ensure this transcript or summary is accurate, Special Assignment or its agents cannot be held liable for any claims arising out of inaccuracies caused by human error or electronic fault. This transcript was typed from a transcription recording unit and not from an original script, so due to the possibility of mishearing and the difficulty, in some cases, of identifying individual speakers, errors cannot be ruled out.

 

POWER CRASH

 

FENLEY: This week we update you on an alleged paedophile fingered in one of our previous stories but first we look at the state of our electricity supply. We ask what’s gone wrong and what can we look forward to this winter?

 

UPS: - VOICER - We take electricity for granted. But without it the country’s economy would come to a standstill. Power is an essential element for economic development. People in the Western Cape recently had a taste of life without power. In November 2005 alone, Cape Town had no less than three major power outages. There were more in store as the Cape was gearing up for the holiday season. Last winter, areas of Johannesburg also experienced outages. But they were less frequent than in Cape Town and did not last as long. The Western Cape has seen further outages this year. Many were furious and experts started questioning not for the first time whether strategic decisions had been bungled. The country had been rudely awakened from a contented slumber.

 

PRE - Title: POWER CRASH…

 

UPS: - ALBERT SCHUITMAKER; CHAMBER OF COMMERCE CAPE - It was just an enormous mess with enormous financial consequences.

 

UPS: - PROF TREVOR GAUNT; ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT UCT- When it hit us during the day when we were trying to do lectures and it is the second or the third time in a few weeks then you realised there are some serious problems underlying the circumstance.

 

UPS: - LEORNARD SMITH; PANELBEATER - It was chaos. In my workshop there was no warning from the electricity department or Eskom as such as there is going to be cut offs

 

UPS: - TONY EHRENRICHT; SECRETARY: COSATU WESTERN CAPE – We discovered that there is a much greater problem in the future that needs to be a subject of the deepening conversation.

 

UPS: - VOICER - In Cape Town people were angry and the more the outages there were, the angrier they got. Strangely, the experts didn’t seem surprised.

 

UPS: - PROF TREVOR GAUNT; ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT UCT- for several years people been saying we are going to run out of electricity.

 

UPS: - ALBERT SCHUITMAKER; CHAMBER OF COMMERCE CAPE - in the year 2000 government was given a report that clearly indicated that unless it would increase capacity in electricity generation we would be running out electricity at peak period in the year 2006.

 

UPS: - VOICER - So what happened in the Western Cape? And what can South Africa expect this winter? The country has the capacity to produce around 38 000 MW. The anticipated peak demand in winter, when most electricity is used, is around 36 000 MW. This leaves a reserve of just over three percent. Some argue that this is where the problem lies.

 

UPS: - TONY EHRENRICHT; SECRETARY: COSATU WESTERN CAPE – The big problem was the gap between the electricity generation and supply and between the demand was closing rapidly. So there was not enough energy available for the Western Cape in the short term future.

 

UPS: - ANDREW KENNY; INDEPENDENT ENGINEERING - Where we should have reserve of about fifteen percent thus is less than three percent so if you have any failure on any power station are down for maintenance we are going to have to cut people off there going to be black outs.

 

UPS: - VOCER - In short South Africa has been simply cutting it too fine. Most of the outages took place in the Western Cape. It’s serviced by this nuclear power station, Koeberg and by stations in the north of the country in Mpumalanga.  Transmission lines then carry power down south. Koeberg has two units. They function independently. And have to, from time to time, be shut down for refuelling. When one of these units is closed down for whatever reason extra power is fed in via the transmission lines. If there’s a problem along the way it’s lights-out in the Cape. And this is what happened a day before Christmas last year. After a scheduled refuelling outage, one of the Koeberg units suddenly went down. A foreign object was discovered in the rotor the infamous eight centimetre bolt. If Eskom’s transmission lines from the north had been up to the task of providing the extra electricity needed, the Western Cape would not have felt a thing. But they were not.

 

UPS: - ANDREW KENNY; INDEPENDENT ENGINEERING – Western Cape is a particular problem because  most fire stations ninety two percent of our generation capacity from coal station in Mpumalanga.  They have to be there because that is where  the coal is. You have to build these big coal stations on a coal field that is all up in the north east of the country. So the west of the country only got one power station which is Koeberg which produces its maximum capacity eighteen hundred mega watts the west of the country needs four or five thousand mega watts. So Koeberg can’t manage on its own.

 

UPS:  - PROF TREVOR GAUNT; ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT UCT – For several years we’ve been hearing about the expansion of the transmission network to the Western Cape but it has not been build yet. Ultimately we knew something somewhere was going to crack.

 

UPS: - VOICER - As a result the Western Cape has been put on the knife edge.

 

UPS: - ALBERT SCHUITMAKER; CHAMBER OF COMMERCE CAPE - Business is angry very angry. They are seriously looking at getting compensation from Eskom.

 

UPS: - VOICER -Leornard Smit’s panel beating operation is just one of the small businesses that suffered from these outages. He too is furious. Many twenty four hour operations were hit hard like bakeries and plastic moulders. The outages simply took place without warning. Experts still disagree about the costs to business and to the general economy.

 

UPS: - LEORNARD SMITH; PANELBEATER - it is a daily fate for us to get work into our workshops. There is such blatant discrimination, economic discrimination, racial discrimination by insurances companies. At that stage we had a little bit of work that we could do for certain insurance that do not discriminate. Here we have these electrical black outs that was like adding sore to injury.

 

UPS: - ALBERT SCHUITMAKER; CHAMBER OF COMMERCE CAPE - The returns we’ve got were companies already collectively had lost some fifty nine million rand and that is out of two hundred. If we extrapolate it to the membership of the Chamber we start looking at the loss to those businesses in the vicinity of three billion rand.

 

UPS: - VOICER - Koeberg at the moment is running on one unit while the damaged rotor of the second unit is being replaced. It’s going to be a delicate balancing act for some time to come. The working unit will have to be shut down for a scheduled refuelling as soon as the other is ready leaving the Province vulnerable and praying nothing major happens.

 

UPS: - PROF TREVOR GAUNT; ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT UCT - As we went on a British airwaves flight on Wednesday they over booked they didn’t have the capacity. They just dropped their passengers. This impact because those people didn’t get to meetings they missed connecting flights and things like that electricity is just the same they will drop industries, they will miss their exports they will make glasses or certainly not make the profit they expected to make. There is a knock on effect through out the economy.

 

AD BREAK 1

 

UPS:  - VOICER - Some argue that what happened in the Western Cape was a worst-case scenario. Everything that could go wrong did, all at the same time. Others say the outages could have been avoided. That the signs were there for all to see. Clearly though the flurry of activities suggest ESKOM was caught by surprise and the outages reveal underlying problems in our national power grid. These are the power lines that the Western Cape will have to partially rely on this winter. One of the previous outages took place when these lines couldn’t cope with the amount of power being pumped down from the North. Eskom is now making sure they are in the best possible shape.  We joined the group assembled to work on this delicate task. The equipment here has to be clean to ensure safety. 

 

UPS: - FANNIE OLIVIER; SUPERVISOR Today we work these lines. The distance is 2.8 metres. Do not wander on the tower. Where you work fasten yourself. We are one team doing this work in the Cape. We have teas in Summerpan, Natal and Witbank. We had all these teams come to the Cape, to help. We are a total of thirty six people and three helicopters. We replace these insulators to get the power problem sorted.

 

UPS: - VOICER - This is dangerous work and mistakes can mean death these high voltage wires are live! There are now calls to re-think our national power supply. And many theories about what’s led to this state of affairs.

 

UPS: - ANDREW KENNY; INDEPENDENT ENGINEERING – The problem is we haven’t got enough power stations that is a problem. We haven’t got enough power stations and transmission grid is an adequate for the present demand that is as simple as that.

 

UPS: - PROF TREVOR GAUNT; ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT UCT- Eskom was banned from building power stations. Eskom was told for an example by the regulatory at the beginning 1994 they couldn’t have the tariff increase they asked for because they would not be building the next power station.

 

UPS: - ANDREW KENNY; INDEPENDENT ENGINEERING – That is the problem we seen it coming ten years ago we saw this problem very, very clearly. You could see then with the existing capacity  and steadily rising demand which was absolutely predictable we would run of electricity by now and we done so.

 

UPS: - PROF TREVOR GAUNT; ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT UCT- the information was there but those with the power to do something with it were not understanding the implications I think it is simple as that.

 

UPS: - JACOB MAROGA; MD;TRANSMISSION DIVISION ESKOM - This is what actually happened we have Koeberg  out but  for scheduled refulelling, if you had another problem on top of that then you are going to loadshed. That is the planning cartel that we use. Obviously you cannot plan a system that has infinite capacity that can handle any contingency, because the customer has to pay for it.

 

UPS: -VOICER - Labour unions from the left and the right add another dimension to this debate.

 

UPS: - DERICK ELBRECHT; TREASURER: NATIONAL UNION OF MINEWORKERS - We want to understand this whole problems that we are experiencing in the electricity supplies around the lack of focus on skill development in the country that is generally the situation and it relates to the exit forced exit of skilled people out of our energy supplier in this case Eskom with the experience that the company has lost over the years and that skills is completely lost to the company.

 

UPS: - BENNIE BLIGNAUT; GENERAL SECRETARY: SOLIDARITY – ELECTRICAL - they changing the affirmative action targets and sometimes when the job must be done they overload other employees with work and it become a problem. We addressed those issues and it is sort of they actually ignored us. And now there is a crisis they come to us and say listen you must help us with skills bring back the people.

 

UPS: - JACOB MAROGA; MD;TRANSMISSION DIVISION ESKOM – We asked our key customers how reliable we’ve been providing power and how economically we’ve been providing power there will clear indication that we are doing very well. We had technical problems in the Western Cape that has not been trend and that is not going to be the trend

 

UPS: - VOICER - So far, no one has taken the blame for the situation we’re in.  Government and Eskom don’t seem to see anything amiss as others do.

 

UPS: - TONY EHRENRICHT; SECRETARY: COSATU WESTERN CAPE --Cosatu is really concerned about the way we are managing the crisis because if any other worker overseeing such a problem of non performance he would have been disciplined. Here we are not even admitting that there is a problem we are not having an outside investigation to objectively tell us what the circumstances is instead what happening is it appears to be a cover u. we’ve got to be open upfront frank and honest with the society everyone tends to support the measures that are going to be required to make sure that we make it through the next few months around the electricity supply and the demand that clearly exceeds that.

 

UPS: - JACOB MAROGA; MD;TRANSMISSION DIVISION ESKOM – I think we’ve shared what happened those incidents that are subject to process of investigation once those are concluded they will be made public.

 

UPS: - VOICER - Recently the media has been awash with warnings critics say the state of our electricity

supply threatens the growth rate the country so desperately needs. It’s been rumoured that an alluminium smelter destined for Coega has already been put on hold. Smelters guzzle power and the investors are said to be wary of a country with unreliable power supplies

 

 

UPS: - ALEC ERWIN; MINISTER: PUBLIC ENTERPRISES – There are very few countries in the world today that are negotiating with alluminium smelter some countries do not negotiate on any grounds for aluminium smelters. We are in negotiation with Alcan those negotiations are going well. We would not do that if we were not confident that we could supply the electricity. But  when other people they come along and say and they might have invested in South Africa with that energy really that some what flippant claim because if I want to get another aluminium smelter into the country it doesn’t matter where it can be Russia or China I start talking to the government and electricity suppliers well in advance.

 

UPS: - ANDREW KENNY; INDEPENDENT ENGINEERING – We need an extra two thousand one hundred mega watts every year. Eskom plans for next year are an extra fifteen hundred beyond that there is going to be long time for any power station to come on line because it takes a very long time to build them. We are in a crisis now and we are heading deeper into one if the six percent growth happens we want it to happen it is a good thing that it happens.

 

UPS: - VOICER - Last winter some parts of Johannesburg had outages that put businesses out of action and plunged homes into darkness. The city’s aging power infrastructure was blamed. City Power says it’s now on top of the problem but the threat of outages frightens some.

 

UPS: SONJA - We are a bit concerned with the reports from Cape Town. Power outages and that this area here has been known for power outages in the winter. We had a power outage while our products were in the oven that actually spoiled the product. All depending how long the power outage would be if it was for a couple of minutes or so we wouldn’t really have a problem but if we say it was for a long period like half an hour or more all our products that were in the oven we would have to throw out.

 

UPS: - JACOB MAROGA; MD; TRANSMISSION DIVISION ESKOM – Between now and end of July we are at risk period. We are focusing on making sure that the problems that we can isolate can be isolated. We have a fairly robust plan to deal with that

 

UPS: - ALEC ERWIN; MINISTER: PUBLIC ENTERPRISES – As the president said this afternoon in parliament why we spending our time scaring ourselves when there is no need to be scared

 

UPS: - PROF TREVOR GAUNT; ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT UCT- Anybody who tells me we shouldn’t worry makes me worry it is like you can’t miss it you will.

 

UPS: - VOICER - So will this be a cosy winter for those who can afford it? Or are we all heading for a winter of discontent? It could go either way.

 

 

AD BREAK 2

 

PRE-TITLE: UPDATE

 

FENLEY – Last year we exposed a German immigrant who allegedly preyed on young girls in Somerset West in the Western Cape. The fifty two year old man, who fled the country while facing arrest, is now fighting to keep his luxury home and car after the state seized all his assets.

 

UPS: - VOICER – It does not take long for a customer to arrive and close a deal. Macassar beach is just five minute drive away.

 

UPS: - VOICER - This was the story that marked the beginning of the end for the alleged German paedophile. It all started with an investigation into child pornography in Macassar near Somerset West.

 

UPS: -VOICER “Gina” not her real name show us the way to Macassar beach. One of her regular customers is a man she calls  Jack. From her description it sounds as if he could be a German immigrant. Usually accompanying her is a fifteen year old friend.   

 

UPS: - “GINA” - When he stops we get in and then and then we drive to the beach. When we get there we arouse him and give him a blowjob. After that he pays us and takes us home.

 

UPS: -VOICER - Jack drives a luxury BMW 4X4, allowing him to drive to secluded spots on this beach. We are told that they regularly go with Jack to his home in the upmarket Somerset West Helderberg Estate. The girls agree to show us the house where they allegedly took part in sex orgies all of it, according to sixteen yr old “Michelle”, captured on video tape with hidden cameras.

 

UPS: - “MICHELLE” – They call him Jack. I do not know his surname. He drives a silver-grey BMW X5. When he takes the girls home he has sex with them in a room. There are cameras. He records what he does with girls in that room. He also has picture he brought from overseas. Young girls from twelve years up you can see it is in the same room, young girls he is also there. But he does not show his face.

 

UPS: - VOICER I - We drive through the streets of Somerset-West, Gina and her friends spot a silver-grey BMW that fits the description of Jack’s car. We follow the car but a woman is driving it. They say it could be his ex-wife. Apparently he has two of these luxury vehicles. Jack’s lifestyle and theirs are worlds apart.

 

UPS: - VOICER - A week after the program aired, when detectives of the child protection unit finally obtained a search warrant to search Jack’s house they discovered that he skipped town. They established that Jack was in fact a German businessman called Werner Braun, who has substantial business interest in South Africa and Namibia. Braun recruited girls from surrounding coloured townships Macassar and Sir Lowrys Pass village outside Somerset-West. These are some of the pictures he took of his victims.

 

UPS: - “MICHELLE” – He will say I just want to take some photos of you. I’ll take my top off and then he takes pictures of your breasts and your lower body. Then you must stand and he takes pictures of your whole body.

 

UPS: - VOICER - He was eventually charged with sexually abusing eight girls.

The sister of one of the girls says they knew the perpetrator as Oubaas.

 

UPS: - THE SISTER – Every time when he had time off or time off from work, he would come here. He would fondle them. It depends on what they want to do and how much he wants to give them.

 

UPS: - VOICER - A Cape High court judge granted a court order to seize Braun’s plush Helderberg Estate home as well as his BMW X5 using the prevention of organised crime act.

 

UPS: - JOHANN SCHOLTZ; WEBBER WENTZEL BOWENS LAW – It is not necessary to prove that an offence has been committed all that you have to show is that there are reasonable grounds to believe that certain property are or constitute what is called instrumentality in the commission of the offence the question is whether the motor car which was a 4x4 and the house where alleged offences and acts took place were an instrumentality in the commission of the offence.

 

UPS: - VOICER - Brauns lawyer are now applying for application to overturn this decision. Police in the Western Cape have asked Interpol to be on the look-out for fifty two year old Werner Braun who fled the country and is believed to be in Germany.

 

 

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