MBABANE:Eskom spent R8.51 billion between 1 April and 19 December this year on power generation, approximately R16.06 billion or 67.7% less than the R24.32 billion spent during the same period last year, according to Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, the Mail and Guardian reported on Wednesday.
Giving an overview of the power utility’s performance this year, Ramokgopa told a media briefing on Monday that South Africa had recorded 272 straight days without load-shedding-the longest stretch of uninterrupted power supply in five years-but cautioned that the country had not yet put the rolling blackouts permanently behind it.
“We are within touching distance of the resolution of load-shedding but we are not necessarily out of the woods.Even though we’re seeing the kind of phenomenal performance that we’re seeing, it is important that we continue to fix our eyes on the bouncing ball, and that bouncing ball is to ensure that we end load-shedding, and then in the long term, to ensure that we are able to provide the sufficient head space for the South African economy to grow.We want to make it just an abnormal conversation for us to even have a discussion about 272 days of no load shedding … It’s an expectation that there shouldn’t be load-shedding in a most industrialised economy such as ours,” he said as quoted by the Mail and Guardian.
South African Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa warns after spending over R8billion to end load-shedding(pic: Mail and Guardian).