Anger over Eskom's blackouts as a result of a failing power grid is mounting after the country was plunged into darkness with no assurances when electricity supply to millions of homes and businesses will be stabilised.
Yesterday, residents and businesses that have been left to shoulder the brunt of the catastrophic power cuts expressed outrage and called for heads to roll at the helm of the troubled power utility. This was after Eskom announced that it would implement stage 4 load-shedding until Friday “due to ongoing generation capacity shortages”.
Black Business Council CEO Kganki Matabane led the growing calls for Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter and the entire board of the company to resign due to their inability to resolve the electricity crisis.
Matabane said two years after his appointment De Ruyter had nothing to show in addressing blackouts in the country.
“The BBC is of the view that the country should acknowledge that the Eskom leadership is completely overwhelmed, inept and out of its depth. They simply don’t seem to be able to have a handle on this crisis and as such, should be let go as there appears to be no prospect in sight for any improvement of this serious situation,” he said.
He said the government has already indicated that the pace economic recovery is directly linked to how quickly it resolves the energy crisis.
“The country has been experiencing the blackouts since 2008 and 13 years later there is no light at the end of the tunnel... The inability to stabilise Eskom will only lead to the country being downgraded, resulting in the increase in the already world record-breaking unemployment rate, further economic contraction and scaring of international investors,” Matabane said.
The BBC has now asked for an urgent meeting with public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan and mineral resources and energy minister Gwede Mantashe.
The power utility introduced load-shedding last week after the announcement of municipal elections results, citing the shutdown of three generating units at Kendal power station and the tripping of a unit each at Tutuka and Matimba power stations.
A number of Gauteng residents who have been left frustrated by the power cuts expressed outrage and demanded answers from the country's leaders on the crisis.
Meni Sindane, a tattoo artist who operates a studio in Mofolo, Soweto, said the consequences of constant outages meant that he cannot work for a few hours a day and that has a knock-on effect on his clients’ appointments.
“It's been a bit difficult navigating around the outages. I have to be vigilant of the schedules and know when I won’t have power. In two instances my clients had to leave with me not being complete with my work, meaning they have to come back on a different day that already has appointments lined up. It's frustrating because some clients have cancelled their appointments, which means I am losing out on money,” said Sindane.
Mahlatsi Ndaba, a resident of Orlando West, said they have resorted to using gas as an alternative source of energy.
“My family and I use storage containers and pour ice into them to keep our refrigerated food in so that it doesn't go off. We use a gas stove to cook. This is what our lives have become,” said Ndaba.
Thomas Mabelane, 52, of Diepkloof Zone 2, Soweto, said he has accepted his “new normal” of living in the dark with candles and paraffin lights as rolling blackouts continue in the country.
Mabelane, who lives with his two children and a 92-year-old father, said living without electricity has been difficult for them as a family.
“We use paraffin lights to get light in our house. We make fire with wood so that we can cook porridge and boil water for bathing and making tea. The fire we make from our wood also serves as a heater when it is cold,” said Mabelane.
Elias Medupe, 68, who lives with his wife Glynnis, 63, said their health was placed at risk by the power cuts as the medication he uses for diabetes has to be kept in a freezer. He has to inject himself with insulin twice a day so that he can contain the sugar levels in his body.
“When there is no electricity at my place I have to go to neighbours and ask them to put my injection in the fridge for me. If they also don’t have electricity, it means I will miss my morning dose. This is dangerous because sometimes I would have mild headaches because of this, forcing me to sit down, relax and have a cold cup of tea,” said Medupe.
His wife Glynnis is asthmatic and uses a nebuliser to survive.
“The job of the nebuliser is to open up my lungs and improve my breathing. This machine needs electricity. When there is no power my husband and I would have to knock on neighbours' doors to plug my machine. This is a dicey situation because I could die at any time,” said Glynnis.
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