Eskom urged to do more to prevent further load shedding – Pravin Gordhan
Power utility Eskom and Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan had to do more to prevent rolling blackouts, the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) said on Wednesday. Eskom unexpectedly announced earlier in the day that stage 2 load shedding would start at 9am and could last the entire week.
The situation facing Eskom is largely due to state capture and corruption at the state power utility that took place under the Zuma administration. However, the ACDP believes that more can be done by Eskom as well as the minister of public enterprises, Pravin Gordhan, to prevent further rolling black-outs, given the significant financial bail-outs that have been given to Eskom,” said ACDP whip Steve Swart.
He said it was concerning that load shedding was implemented without sufficient notice being given to businesses, municipalities and citizens.
“While we are aware of the constraints Eskom is operating under, load shedding will undoubtedly have a negative impact on the economy and ordinary South Africans.
Extended load shedding earlier this year had a severe impact on business and households, and resulted in a technical recession. It also contributed to a loss of investor and business confidence. A repeat of this must be avoided at all costs, given the dire state of our economy,” said Swart. The potential disruption on those writing their matric exams was also cause for concern, he added.
In other news – Mzansi reacts to stage 2 load shedding
Eskom on Tuesday announced that it will be implementing Stage 2 load shedding throughout the day “due to a shortage of capacity”.
Naturally, the news angered South Africans, who took to Twitter to express themselves. Read more
Source: IOL
