ANC Deputy President David Mabuza has described the ongoing power crisis in the country as extremely worrying.
For the past few days, Eskom has been implementing Stage 4 load shedding. There are fears that this could be ramped up to Stage 6 if the situtation does not improve.
Earlier, the Minerals and Energy Department warned that this could adversely affect the economy because at Stage 6, mine workers are not allowed to go underground as the risk of rockfall incidents is very high.
Mabuza was speaking at the SACP Special National Congress in Kempton Park east of Johannesburg.
Meanwhile, President Cyril Ramaphosa will meet with Eskom’s management on Wednesday. He’s cut short his two-day state visit to Egypt in the wake of the deepening electricity crisis in the country.
Ramaphosa has acknowledged the current challenges and inconvenience that the power cuts are causing.
There are concerns that they are compromising the already ailing economy.
Mines across the country are shutting down after flash flooding caused the largest power blackouts in more than a decade, threatening a key export sector.
Chief Economist at the Minerals Council of South Africa, says Hank Langehoven, “(It) makes it very difficult to plan and to produce. A mine is something that takes out what we know is there. It needs to expand and to explore to continue. So, if your bottom line is not giving you the space to do that, then it is like going into a cul de sac. So, it is unhelpful.”
Listen to Mabuza in the audio below:
