The new head of South African business group BUSA said on Wednesday that he was "quite happy" about the country's electricity crisis despite the power cuts and disruption.

After being named the new president of Business Unity South Africa, Brian Molefe said the problems were a "blessing" that would force policy changes and greater reliance on alternative sources of energy.

"We must place the environment first. I'm quite happy that we are being forced to think about the environment, that there is a temporary discomfort that forces us to think differently about how we do things," he told AFP.

South Africa's electricity crisis began in January and has lowered production at gold mines and delayed large construction projects.

Johannesburg has been particularly badly hit, with frequent power cuts afflicting residents for several hours nearly every day.

Molefe, chief executive of the Public Investment Corporation, a state-run investment group, said the problems would encourage energy efficiency and investment in solar power.

The electricity shortages have been caused by underinvestment in new production capacity by Eskom and are extremely embarrassing for the government.

Turning to the election crisis in Zimbabwe, Molefe said he did not expect any economic impact in South Africa.

"Damage to the South African economy is very minimal. It is only if there is a full-scale civil war and violence that the impact in South Africa would be felt more," he told AFP.

Molefe was named as the new president of BUSA on Wednesday. He took over from Patrice Motsepe, a mining magnate and the country's first black billionaire.

AFP