It might not quite have had the same spectator value as the fabled “family meetings” of the harsh days of the Covid-19 lockdown, but President Cyril Ramaphosa's Monday night address to the nation to announce the government's plan of action to deal with the power crisis was welcome.
There is still some air of goodwill that is generally blown towards the president despite the latest failings, real or imagined, of his leadership or lack thereof. The nation by and large wants a successful president who is seen to be in charge and on their side for the greater good of the country.
The problem has often been that the grand plans, announced to great fanfare, peter out into nothing while the government stumbles to the next crisis, one after the other.
Like many South Africans we only wish the very best for our nation and indeed will support efforts to make a success of this country. It is in this fashion that we echo calls such as that made by Business Unity South Africa (Busa) that the government be held accountable for the new energy plan and deliver on hard deadlines and execution targets, as reported by Business Tech a day after the president's address.
Busa chief executive Cas Coovadia was reported as saying that they were encouraged in the main that the president's new plan included most of the proposals from energy experts sitting outside government and those in the private sector.
Ramaphosa announced that regulations will be changed to allow for fast-tracking new energy generation projects to alleviate the devastating rolling blackouts that crippled the economy further in the past few weeks. It is the sort of problem, this load-shedding, which at times reached stage 6 – a dreaded category that means power utility Eskom has to implement at least six hours of blackouts to avert a collapse of the grid.
Busa has called on the government to provide details such as clear markers of progress for the implementation of the plan, hard non-negotiable deadlines for action and accountability on the part of those tasked with the job.
Reasonable expectations, if you ask us. The time for announcing intent with flowery language that does nothing to solve our problems has long lapsed. We need action and we need it now. That is what the post-Covid era will demand of those with the power to make a difference in people's lives, including the seemingly clueless Eskom.
All SA needs, and demands, is: keep the damn lights on.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.