Broken promises: Load shedding returns despite favourable conditions

Our illustrious minister of electricity implied recently that South Africans were not giving enough credit where it was due in the fight to end load shedding.

He attacked those who suggested that the scheduled blackouts had been stopped deliberately during the Rugby World Cup so that South Africans could enjoy the happiness… and then we might perhaps thank our ANC masters for the little bit of joy.

No, said Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, the abatement had nothing to do with rugby.

On another occasion, Eskom warned load shedding would increase during the recent cold and wet spell.

ALSO READ: WATCH: ‘Load shedding will get worse as long as ANC in power’ − Mkhwebane

Guess what? No rugby and no cold wet weather (so we greedy consumers don’t make demand spike) and things are back to normal: regular blackouts from stage 1 to stage 3.

Let’s face it, we’re never going to be free of blackouts. Too many connected people are profiting from the mess at the national power utility and Eskom is never going to be able to provide the power this country needs.

Cape Town and some other municipalities are looking into private-public partnerships in electricity generation. That, we think is, the future.

Through new generation or solar projects, the reality is – to borrow from Bob Marley – that none but ourselves can free ourselves from load shedding.

ALSO READ: ‘More time needed’: Experts cautiously optimistic about Eskom’s long-term stability