President Cyril Ramaphosa says that the government is making every effort to bring new power generation capacity online in the shortest possible time.
In his weekly letter to the nation, Ramaphosa acknowledged the disruption and inconvenience caused by last week’s load shedding, saying the decade-long shortage of electricity has contributed to slow economic growth and weak investor confidence.
He says the government is taking action to restructure and strengthen the electricity system to change the country’s energy future.
President Cyril Ramaphosa explains that while there will be load shedding in the immediate future as Eskom works to ensure that it undertakes the maintenance of its aging plants, this will lead to improved plant performance in the medium term and to greater stability in supply.
He further says additional generating capacity is being brought online as witnessed by the announcement of companies last week that successfully bid to supply emergency power from renewable sources.
The President has urged citizens to assist by paying for the electricity they use and desist from illegal connections, meter tampering and the illegal sale of prepaid electricity vouchers.
Chris Yelland is Managing Director at EE Business Intelligence and an Energy expert:
President Ramaphosa’s weekly letter to the nation:
