Dark Times At Eskom Amid Load Shedding And Mabuza Resignation

President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africans should be outraged about the continued blackouts.

Eskom has announced there will be no load shedding on Saturday, after Stage 1 load shedding was suspended at 11pm on Friday night.

The struggling entity says the extent of load shedding will depend on how well the system performs overnight.

Ramaphosa was speaking at the African National Congress’s fundraising gala dinner on Friday night ahead of the party’s 108th birthday celebrations today.

The president has also accepted Jabu Mabuza’s unexpected resignation as Eskom chair earlier on Friday.

Mabuza says he is taking accountability for Eskom’s failure to meet the commitment it made to the president that there would-be no-load shedding until 13 January 2020.

Earlier this week, Deputy President David Mabuza told reporters in Kimberley that the board and management of Eskom misled the President when he announced load shedding would be only be back later this month.

President Ramaphosa has again reiterated that Eskom is too big a factor in the country’s economy to be allowed to fail.

“Our economy recovery and future success depend on having a secure and stable energy supply. Eskom is a major factor in the lives of all South Africans, as well as a major in the sustainability of our economy and its growth.”

He says South Africans have every right to be angry.
“It is correct that South Africans should be concerned, should be worried, about the status of Eskom and its capacity to deliver electricity.”

He says his deputy David Mabuza will continue to lead a team working hard to resolve the Eskom crisis.

EWN