Eskom has again appealed to communities to change their behaviour when is comes to power usage, as the country continues to face the risk of load shedding increases.
The company has been battling to keep up with demands due to limited generating capacity, aging infrastructure and several technical issues at its power stations over the last few months.
Eskom’s CEO Tshediso Matona gave an update on the state of the country’s power grid yesterday (Thursday).
He’s admitted not enough maintenance has been done on power plants in the past, which has resulted in the crisis the country now faces.
“Eskom has not stayed faithful to that maintenance religion for a very long time,” he said.
This means regular load shedding is expected to take place daily for the next few months.
It was reported that Matona has spent most of this week in meetings with board members and business stakeholders regarding what can be expected in terms of electricity supply.
He has released a calendar indicating that load shedding will happen regularly during February, March and April.
Deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa met with Eskom officials recently about the on-going plans to help the company deal with electricity problems, but he is yet to make an announcement on government intervention plans.
Matona however said that Ramaphosa was impressed with what Eskom has done so far.
“When we interacted he referred to it as a glorious company,” Matona said.
Government is yet to make an announcement on its action plan to help Eskom financially.
It was reported earlier this week that Eskom is expected to run out of funds by mid-February.
Matona said government has been working with Eskom since December to develop a number of turnaround strategies.
Economists, businesses and industry leaders are concerned about the impact of further power outages will have on the country.
