South Africa: Electricity System Still Vulnerable Despite 120 Days With No Load Shedding

While this week marks 120 days without load shedding in South Africa, President Cyril Ramaphosa says it is too soon to claim victory.

“Our electricity system is still vulnerable, and we cannot yet rule out a possibility of further load shedding,” President Ramaphosa said on Tuesday.

The President said this when he tabled the 2024/25 Presidency Budget Vote in Parliament.

He told Members of Parliament (MPs) that one of the greatest impediments to economic growth has been the electricity crisis, which the Presidency has been instrumental in addressing.

The National Energy Crisis Committee, which was established in 2022 to oversee the implementation of the Energy Action Plan, is chaired by the President and coordinated at a technical level by the Director-General in the Presidency.

“With the support of the National Energy Crisis Committee, there has been a marked improvement in the performance of Eskom’s power stations, which produce the bulk of South Africa’s electricity.”

WATCH | President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses the National Assembly during the tabling of the Presidency’s Budget Vote.

Meanwhile, he said regulatory changes have enabled substantial new investment in electricity generation.

He announced that government has also been working closely with independent power producers (IPPs) in steering their projects through to the construction phase, contributing significantly to the reduction in the severity of load shedding.

“We are going to continue working with companies, financial institutions and business organisations, both South African and international, during the course of our ambitious investment drive over the last five years.”

According to the Head of State, alleviating load shedding, improving the performance of the logistics system, reducing the cost of data, improving water supply, attracting the much-needed skills, and the reforms already underway will provide a significant boost to the economy in the medium term.

“In addition, these reforms support the repositioning of strategic State-owned enterprises by strengthening their balance sheets and improving their operational performance, while also enabling higher levels of private investment in infrastructure.”

READ | President: 100 days of no load shedding no reason to relax

Corruption

The President also touched on corruption and stated that government has made important progress in implementing the recommendations of the State Capture Commission.

“This includes the work of our law enforcement agencies to bring perpetrators to justice and to recover stolen funds, as well as the legislative and other changes needed to strengthen the fight against corruption and prevent state capture.”

In addition, he said the Presidency plays a pivotal role in ensuring that the work of the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has an impact and that people involved in wrongdoing face the consequences of their actions.

“The Presidency has forged a close working relationship with the SIU and law enforcement agencies to monitor the implementation of the recommendations for criminal, disciplinary and administrative action arising from SIU investigations,” he added.