It has been well over 100 days of rolling power cuts for SA this year alone as Eskom continues to implement loadshedding with no end in sight.
This means the newly appointed Eskom board, which has been described as having the right mix of expertise and experience, has its work cut out. There has been enough blame going around about what sparked the energy crisis that has plunged this country into darkness for years now.
One thing that everyone agrees on is that this cannot continue. It is getting to a point where loadshedding undermines every effort to put the country on the path of stability. We are seeing stagnant growth, joblessness, crime and small businesses shutting down.
The effects of loadshedding have been disastrous for an economy already on its knees due to the Covid-19 pandemic of the past two years.
Announcing the appointment of the board on Friday, public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan said the department’s mandate was to address the loadshedding crisis.
“The country wants some surety that loadshedding will be minimised or eliminated. Second, the collapse or dysfunctionality of many of our power station units needs to be something that is of the past. Third, together with law enforcement agencies, we need to be able to catch those people that are involved in fraud and malfeasance,” Gordhan said.
There is no doubt that on paper the CVs of those who have been entrusted with the responsibility of ending South Africans’ dark misery are impressive. The 13-member board chaired by Mpho Makwana will, however, need more than pedigree if it is to turn things around at Eskom.
It must hit the ground running, show courage and decisive leadership by making necessary interventions to save the country from this dark abyss. The board members will soon discover that the crisis is bigger than they imagined. They will probably face resistance in some quarters but they must not cower or things will only get worse.
Some economists have estimated that up to R4bn is wiped off the economy every time there is load-shedding. This figure is enormous for a country that wants to attract investment, create jobs and end poverty and inequality. We cautiously welcome the appointment of the new Eskom board and hope its arrival is not akin to shifting deck chairs on the sinking Titanic.
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