As the South African government scrambles to unlock policy regulations to deal with intensified power cuts, two towns in Namaqualand have never experienced rolling blackouts.
Eskom says if Kleinzee and Koingnaas are to experience power cuts, South Africa will be plunged into darkness.
The reasons for this date back to seven decades ago when De Beers was a major diamond producer in Namaqualand and demanded high electricity supply.
The towns were connected to a high-voltage grid back then.
Energy expert, Tshepo Kgadima, says Eskom’s failure to review this agreement further exposes its dysfunctionality.
Kgadima says the move by Eskom not to implement power cuts in the two towns is not sustainable.
“We see here a situation whereby, in order to protect the grid of the country, these two towns continue to enjoy electricity but where there is no demand. The two towns in terms of the thousands or so residents that live there, their electricity demand is diminished. So, it means that Eskom is losing money by supplying electricity to these two towns in order to maintain the grid stability is an expensive solution. So, it tells us more of dysfunctional, inept, and incompetent Eskom.”
Varying stages
Meanwhile, Eskom says it will be implementing varying stages of rolling blackouts until midnight on Sunday.
The power utility says Stage 3 is currently under way until 4pm on Thursday, which will escalate to Stage 4 until Friday morning.
Stages 1 and 2 power cuts are expected to be implemented over the weekend.
Varying stages of loadshedding will be implemented until midnight on Sunday pic.twitter.com/ejrkswl9J2
— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) October 27, 2022
