News simply in: President Cyril Ramaphosa has cancelled his working visit to the World Economic Forum in Davos to tackle the nation’s energy crisis.
PRESIDENT CYRIL RAMAPHOSA CANCELLED HIS TRIP
Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya mentioned due to the ongoing energy crisis, Ramaphosa has cancelled his working visit to the World Economic Forum in Davos.
“Currently, the President is convening a meeting with leaders of political parties represented in parliament, NECCOM and the Eskom board.”
SOUTH AFRICANS ARE NOT OPTIMISTIC
He moreover mentioned Ramaphosa has already engaged with the management of Eskom and the National Energy Crisis Committee(NECCOM), and people conferences will proceed.
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“More briefing sessions to key stakeholders will take place during this coming week.”
But it appears South Africans usually are not holding their breath for quick modifications. And who can blame us with Stage 8 load shedding looming?
Last yr, Ramaphosa reduce his UK-US journey brief to come dwelling and “deal with stage 6 load-shedding.”
LAST YEAR RAMAPHOSA CANCELLED THE TRIP TO DEAL WITH THE ENERGY CRISIS AND IT WORSENED
He returned, he met with the Eskom board, and the energy crisis worsened since the assembly in October 2022.
The DA shadow minister of minerals and energy, Kevin Mileham then mentioned the load shedding downside was one stage away from a complete grid collapse.
“Over the past few weeks, Ramaphosa has ignored several DA warnings that his Energy Response Plan had veered off the track due to an ineffective National Electricity Crisis Committee (NECC),” Mileham mentioned.
He mentioned Eskom’s plant efficiency has continued to deteriorate considerably in the previous week, confirming an influence plant upkeep plan that’s in crisis.
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“Now that it has develop into clear that sub-contracting the implementation of the Energy Response Plan to his NECC was a nasty concept to start with and little traction has been made, Ramaphosa ought to now take energetic management of the implementation course of and guarantee well timed supply of the plan’s short-term targets to plug the electrical energy provide hole.
“Better still, as we have repeatedly said, declare a ring-fenced state of disaster around the beleaguered entity,”
Mileham mentioned.
WHAT HAPPEN TO ALL THE PLANS?
It has been 5 months after the announcement of the Energy Response Plan, the nation remains to be in the darkish on:
- Recruitment or rehiring of skilled former Eskom workers (engineers, energy station managers);
- Procurement of electrical energy from neighbouring international locations (simply an admission that negotiations are ongoing);
- The plan to eradicate sabotage, theft and fraud at Eskom; and
- National Treasury’s plan to develop tax incentives for residential and industrial installations – which remains to be pending.
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The DA has referred to as for the prioritisation of the recruitment of skilled engineers and electrical energy consultants to reverse the electrical energy crisis.