South Africans could be living in the light and out of loadshedding come December time Photo Tech Central
South Africa – Although Eskom has announced that stage 4 loadshedding will be sticking around until further notice, the days of loadshedding may soon be over. That’s according to Zakhele Madela, Social and Energy Expert at South African Energy Forum (SAEF), who believes that come December 1st, South Africans won’t be left in the dark for the festive season.
Madela confidently stated the loadshedding situation plaguing the country, will be resolved by December 1st. This prediction comes as a result of the efforts made by government and various power stations to address the challenges they face.
“I stand by this [claim] because what we’ve been able to do is, we’ve been able to force the government’s arm a little bit. Delay the premature closure of the coal power stations, to be transparent about what is happening from a myriad of challenges that they have brought upon themselves.”
Identifying the challenges
Madela acknowledged several challenges have hindered progress in the past. One of the major issues was the premature closure of the coal power stations, which caused a strain on the energy supply. Additionally, financial constraints and a lack of resources hampered the ability to repair and maintain power units, leading to frequent breakdowns.
“A few of those challenges is pretty much the closure of coal power stations even though they are doing well. The other one is not financing the return of the units that break down and also totally incapacitating the power station managers and the head of generation. The biggest thing that the head of generation has done at Eskom was to centralise the procurement. What it means is if you are short of a spare in Camden Power Station you can’t go and strip another unit [elsewhere]. That’s what they have been doing. Now you have to go through a sub system and everything and get approval … Power stations are no longer operating in silos. Each power station manager knows what to do in his own power station in order to reduce loadshedding.”
In the past, they were doing this because they were not financed, and they were told it was “a dying horse”. They had no resources to keep these units going or even repair them. This lack of autonomy and flexibility caused delays in resolving issues promptly.
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Addressing sabotage and mismanagement at Eskom
Former CEO of Eskom, André Marinus de Ruyter, made it clear that Eskom was being sabotaged and mismanaged. He firmly believed this was why the power utility was failing to provide electricity to the country. Madela emphasised the current leadership is determined to hold individuals accountable for their actions. This is despite the government not making any headway in dealing with corruption although they have placed in measures to ensure corruption is stopped. Contracts now come with clear expectations and penalties for non-compliance. This approach ensures employees are focused on their responsibilities rather than causing further problems.
“In the past we had a leadership that kept on talking about the sabotage as if people cannot be held accountable. Now we have a leadership that is willing to say, your contract will be terminated but your company also will be criminally charged by the Hawks and by NPA which was not happening. People can no longer continue sabotaging because a contract is a contract. You’ve got to deliver.”
One of the critical aspects of the current approach is the crackdown on corruption and the black market. By ensuring that contracts are fulfilled with reputable suppliers, the risk of substandard or fraudulent equipment being introduced into the system is significantly reduced. This change in strategy not only helps in combating corruption but also improves the overall quality and reliability of the power supply. The centralised procurement system will be a massive help in cutting down on black market items making their way into the power station.
“There has been a lot of spares that have been coming from the black market that are no longer finding their way [into Eskom]. Now the leadership is hard at work whereas with the previous guys they would say I need money to procure the valves and the CEO, and the leadership say don’t worry about that thing. It’s dead. We don’t have money for that. Now this person poor power station manager, he ends up accepting these inferior components.”
Madela provided a glimpse of hope for South Africa’s energy future. The efforts to address challenges, combat corruption, and improve management within the power sector are starting to yield positive results. While there are still hurdles to overcome, the progress made so far is commendable. With continued dedication, transparency, and a focus on renewable energy, South Africa may soon find itself emerging from the dark tunnel of energy woes.
Zakhele Madela gave an update to Julie Alli on the progress of the Medupi Power Station as well as future energy projects. Listen to that update here:
