{"id":1909,"date":"2020-09-09T17:35:14","date_gmt":"2020-09-09T15:35:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/?p=366368"},"modified":"2020-09-09T17:35:14","modified_gmt":"2020-09-09T15:35:14","slug":"eskoms-load-shedding-lies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/interwebdev.co.za\/index.php\/2020\/09\/09\/eskoms-load-shedding-lies\/","title":{"rendered":"Eskom\u2019s load-shedding lies"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Eskom is promising the end of load-shedding after 13 years of power failures, but with a history of corruption, mismanagement, and lies it is hard to believe the power utility.<\/p>\n

This year, South Africa has experienced the worst power outages in history, with regular stage 4 load-shedding occurring in recent weeks.<\/p>\n

The latest bout of load-shedding comes after Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter said in May they did not expect more than three days of stage 1 load-shedding this winter.<\/p>\n

At the time energy advisor Ted Blom said Eskom\u2019s optimism was misguided, warning that South Africans should prepare for the worst.<\/p>\n

Eskom dismissed Blom\u2019s warning at the time, but three months later he was proven right.<\/p>\n

When asked about the misguided \u201cthree days of stage 1 load-shedding this winter\u201d claim, Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha tried to downplay power cuts this year.<\/p>\n

Speaking in an SABC interview on Thursday 3 September, Mantshantsha said that \u201cthis is exactly day 14 of load-shedding this year\u201d.<\/p>\n

Mantshantsha later clarified that \u201cthe 14 days of load-shedding I was talking about were those which happened during the winter\u201d.<\/p>\n

He added that de Ruyter\u2019s claims of only three days of load-shedding this winter were based on information they had at the time.<\/p>\n

This, however, points to inaccurate information provided to the de Ruyter and substantiates Blom\u2019s claim that Eskom has underestimated problems at the company.<\/p>\n

It also adds to the list of statements which have broken trust in the company\u2019s promises around load-shedding.<\/p>\n

We are seeing the end of load-shedding \u2013 Mantshantsha<\/h3>\n

In the same interview, the Eskom spokesperson said \u201cwe are seeing the end of load-shedding\u201d after 13 years of power failures.<\/p>\n

Mantshantsha referred to Deputy President David Mabuza\u2019s recent statement that the introduction of the Medupi and Kusile power plants to the grid will help ease load-shedding.<\/p>\n

Mabuza said that the latest round of load-shedding was due to maintenance challenges and an ageing fleet.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur people will understand that we are dealing with a very old fleet and from time to time we are dealing with operational problems,\u201d Mabuza said.<\/p>\n

He added that the introduction of Independent Power Producers (IPPs) will also help with the country\u2019s power cuts.<\/p>\n

This is not the first time South Africans have heard this promise. In fact, South Africans have been hearing the same promises since load-shedding started 13 years ago.<\/p>\n

When power blackouts hit the country in 2007, Eskom said Medupi and Kusile would be finished by 2015 to resolving South Africa\u2019s energy problems.<\/p>\n

This did not happen. Deadline after deadline was missed and design faults prevented the power stations from producing their promised electricity output.<\/p>\n

These problems are not stopping Eskom and the government from hanging their hat on these two power stations again to stop load-shedding.<\/p>\n

To see why many South Africans distrust Eskom and the government\u2019s \u201cend to load-shedding\u201d promises, here is a summary of what they have told the public in the past:<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Load-shedding Statements<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Date<\/strong><\/td>\nWho said it<\/strong><\/td>\nWhat was said<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
November 2007<\/strong><\/td>\nEskom<\/td>\nMedupi and Kusile will be finished by 2015.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
January 2009<\/strong><\/td>\nEskom CEO Jacob Moraga<\/td>\nKusile will start producing power in 2013.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
July 2013<\/strong><\/td>\nEskom CEO Brian Dames<\/td>\nNo more load-shedding going forward.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
March 2014<\/strong><\/td>\nMinister Edna Molewa<\/td>\nEskom assured the government that load-shedding was temporary.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
December 2014<\/strong><\/td>\nEskom CEO Tshediso Matona<\/td>\nThere is no power crisis at Eskom.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
February 2015<\/strong><\/td>\nDoE director Wolsey Barnard<\/td>\nThe power crisis at Eskom will be resolved in 20 to 30 months.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
May 2015<\/strong><\/td>\nEskom CEO Brian Molefe<\/td>\nThere would be no load-shedding during the winter season.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
September 2015<\/strong><\/td>\nDeputy President Cyril Ramaphosa<\/td>\nIn two years all of these problems would be resolved.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
May 2016<\/strong><\/td>\nPresident Jacob Zuma<\/td>\nWe will never have load-shedding again.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
August 2016<\/strong><\/td>\nEskom CEO Brian Molefe<\/td>\nIt will be very hard to go into load shedding.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
April 2019<\/strong><\/td>\nMinister Pravin Gordhan<\/td>\nThere will be no load-shedding from today<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
December 2019<\/strong><\/td>\nPresident Cyril Ramaphosa<\/td>\nThere would be no load-shedding over the holiday season.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
May 2020<\/strong><\/td>\nEskom CEO Andre de Ruyter<\/td>\nOnly 3 days of stage 1 load-shedding this winter.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Things are set to get worse unless drastic action is taken<\/h3>\n

While Eskom and Mabuza are promising South Africans that load-shedding is set to end soon, experts are warning that things may get worse.<\/p>\n

Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) researchers said South Africa should brace itself for exponential increases to load-shedding until 2022 unless drastic action is taken.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot only will load-shedding continue over the next few years \u2013 it will get significantly worse,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

Energy analyst Chris Yelland echoed these views, saying the country urgently needs 6,000MW of new generation capacity in the next two to three years.<\/p>\n

He said unless South Africa launches courageous and bold decision policy initiatives, load-shedding is here to stay.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only way to stop load-shedding is to replace poor-performing coal-fires power stations with reliable and low-cost wind, solar PV, battery storage, and gas-to-power generation,\u201d Yelland said.<\/p>\n

He added that this new capacity procurement will not come from Eskom, which is why legislative and policy changes are needed.<\/p>\n

Load-shedding this year<\/h3>\n

The table below gives an overview of load-shedding in 2020.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Load-Shedding in 2020<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Day<\/td>\nDate<\/td>\nLoad-Shedding<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/strong><\/td>\n04-Jan-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/strong><\/td>\n05-Jan-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/strong><\/td>\n08-Jan-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/strong><\/td>\n09-Jan-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5<\/strong><\/td>\n10-Jan-20<\/td>\nStage 1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6<\/strong><\/td>\n30-Jan-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
7<\/strong><\/td>\n31-Jan-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
8<\/strong><\/td>\n01-Feb-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
9<\/strong><\/td>\n02-Feb-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
10<\/strong><\/td>\n03-Feb-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
11<\/strong><\/td>\n04-Feb-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
12<\/strong><\/td>\n05-Feb-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
13<\/strong><\/td>\n06-Feb-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
14<\/strong><\/td>\n07-Feb-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
15<\/strong><\/td>\n08-Feb-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
16<\/strong><\/td>\n09-Feb-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17<\/strong><\/td>\n10-Feb-20<\/td>\nStage 1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
18<\/strong><\/td>\n11-Feb-20<\/td>\nStage 1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
19<\/strong><\/td>\n14-Feb-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
20<\/strong><\/td>\n15-Feb-20<\/td>\nStage 3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
21<\/strong><\/td>\n20-Feb-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
22<\/strong><\/td>\n21-Feb-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
23<\/strong><\/td>\n22-Feb-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
24<\/strong><\/td>\n09-Mar-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
25<\/strong><\/td>\n10-Mar-20<\/td>\nStage 4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
26<\/strong><\/td>\n11-Mar-20<\/td>\nStage 4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
27<\/strong><\/td>\n12-Mar-20<\/td>\nStage 4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
28<\/strong><\/td>\n13-Mar-20<\/td>\nStage 3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
29<\/strong><\/td>\n14-Mar-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
30<\/strong><\/td>\n10-Jul-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
31<\/strong><\/td>\n11-Jul-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
32<\/strong><\/td>\n12-Jul-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
33<\/strong><\/td>\n13-Jul-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
34<\/strong><\/td>\n14-Jul-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
35<\/strong><\/td>\n15-Jul-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
36<\/strong><\/td>\n16-Jul-20<\/td>\nStage 1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
37<\/strong><\/td>\n13-Aug-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
38<\/strong><\/td>\n14-Aug-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
39<\/strong><\/td>\n18-Aug-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
40<\/strong><\/td>\n19-Aug-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
41<\/strong><\/td>\n20-Aug-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
42<\/strong><\/td>\n01-Sep-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
43<\/strong><\/td>\n02-Sep-20<\/td>\nStage 4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
44<\/strong><\/td>\n03-Sep-20<\/td>\nStage 4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
45<\/strong><\/td>\n04-Sep-20<\/td>\nStage 3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
46<\/strong><\/td>\n05-Sep-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
47<\/strong><\/td>\n06-Sep-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
48<\/strong><\/td>\n07-Sep-20<\/td>\nStage 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
49<\/strong><\/td>\n08-Sep-20<\/td>\nStage 1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n
\n

Sikonathi Mantshantsha Interview<\/h3>\n