The country has not yet dodged the load-shedding bullet as more power cuts can be expected in the coming weeks.
Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter said the ongoing outages are necessary to catch up with long overdue maintenance.
He told the Cape Town Press Club the power utility is preparing for an uptick in demand to pre-lockdown levels early next month.
“It is likely we will have an increased risk of load-shedding going forward. I think there is a risk of load-shedding always in the system given the lack of predictability, reliability, the lack of maintenance that was not done.
“This risk will over time, diminish, as we carry out the midlife refurbishments.
De Ruyter thinks Eskom has been doing a good job of managing the demand peaks and keeping the lights on.
He said Eskom is working with the Asset Forfeiture Unit to stop executives and board members believed to have been complicit in looting from the company from spending their ill-gotten gains.
De Ruyter said contrary to some public opinion, Eskom is making good progress in unbundling the company.
Soon it will be looking to dispose of its vast property portfolio to rake in much-needed cash, as it still grapples with its R450-billion debt burden.
Municipal debt owed to Eskom now stands at R30-billion, with Soweto accounting for almost a third of that.
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Source: eNCA
