The power utility cited the failure of eight generating units overnight as one of the reasons for the Stage 6 power cuts
16 December 2022 - 09:54
by Sam Mkokeli
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The plenary at Nasrec in Johannesburg during the 55th ANC national conference on Friday. The conference has been met by delays following issues with the accreditation process. Picture: ALAISTER RUSSELL
The Nasrec expo centre, host to the ANC’s five-day national conference that kicks off on Friday, needs a very strong power backup system to avoid a total collapse of the party’s historic meeting.
On Friday power utility Eskom escalated load-shedding to Stage 6, meaning the more than 4,000 delegates who have converged at the centre to discuss policy and elect a new leadership, could be without power for up to four hours at any given time of the day.
But the decision could have a far bigger impact on an economy that is struggling to breathe.
The ANC is at a crossroads and decisions made at this conference will either help it sink or swim . The party — which at the zenith of its existence was referred to by some as “the glorious movement” — is struggling to make ends meet, both financially and politically.
It is now a shadow of its former self, struggling to retain metros in traditionally safe grounds including Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, Tshwane and Nelson Mandela Bay. And if recent surveys by professional organisations and the party itself are to be believed, more electoral woes await.
Excessive use of diesel and the loss of generation units overnight led to the implementation of stage 6 load-shedding, Eskom said.
The power utility cited the failure of eight generating units overnight as one of the reasons for the higher stage of power cuts.
Load-shedding was reduced to stage 4 on Thursday and was set to remain on this level until Sunday morning, after which an improvement to stage 3 load-shedding had been expected.
However, the situation has since deteriorated.
Eskom said the higher stage of power cuts “was necessary due to the failure of eight generating units overnight and the excessive reliance on OCGTs (open cycle gas turbines) and pumped storage generation that is rapidly depleting these reserves.”
Coming just days after the news of the resignation of Eskom CEO Andre De Ruyter on Wednesday, SA’s energy crisis is set to be the elephant in the room when the ANC’s Nasrec conference kicks off.
Political analyst Susan Booysen said discussions about the energy crisis and solutions would provide a credibility test for the seriousness with which the ANC takes governance and managing the economy.
“The energy crisis is more than just the elephant in the room. It is much bigger than a herd of buffalo in a room. The buffalo are angry and can trample anything,” says Booysen.
Energy commentator Chris Yelland said load-shedding would be a big issue at the conference. “It has a broad impact on people, businesses and organisations throughout the country and is top of mind of everybody because of the inconvenience and impact on the economy.”
The ANC’s Economic Transformation Committee is expected to handle the bulk of the policy battles.
Delegates need to guard against populist or impractical policies that don’t create an environment for investment and growth, Business Unity SA CEO Cas Coovadia said..
At previous conferences populist decisions such as the “nationalisation” of the SA Reserve Bank, changing the constitution to enable land expropriation without compensation and the development of a state bank were mooted.
“All of those populist issues, they have no rationale,” Coovadia said.
The policy conversation needs to be tied with the leadership mix the party will choose, said Black Management Forum President Andile Nomlala.
When it comes to the NEC, suitably qualified men and women within the organisation must be elected, he said.
The aftermath of De Ruyter's resignation may still linger at the conference and beyond.
“The Eskom catastrophe cannot be dealt with by politicians alone,” Nomlala said.
However, as a central part of SA politics, it matters what the ANC decides at the conference. “This is a critical conference for the ANC,” said Coovadia.
“The ANC is still the majority party in parliament. It has a significant influence on government and on policy and what happens in this country from the point of view of economic development and social development,” he said.
“We are in a significant crisis in this country. We have no economic growth. We have suboptimal levels of investment both from South African and global investors because the environment is not conducive for investment.”
“We have significant social problems. And yet, we can’t seem to have business and government work together bilaterally.”
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Eskom hits ANC conference for a six
The power utility cited the failure of eight generating units overnight as one of the reasons for the Stage 6 power cuts
The Nasrec expo centre, host to the ANC’s five-day national conference that kicks off on Friday, needs a very strong power backup system to avoid a total collapse of the party’s historic meeting.
On Friday power utility Eskom escalated load-shedding to Stage 6, meaning the more than 4,000 delegates who have converged at the centre to discuss policy and elect a new leadership, could be without power for up to four hours at any given time of the day.
But the decision could have a far bigger impact on an economy that is struggling to breathe.
The ANC is at a crossroads and decisions made at this conference will either help it sink or swim . The party — which at the zenith of its existence was referred to by some as “the glorious movement” — is struggling to make ends meet, both financially and politically.
It is now a shadow of its former self, struggling to retain metros in traditionally safe grounds including Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, Tshwane and Nelson Mandela Bay. And if recent surveys by professional organisations and the party itself are to be believed, more electoral woes await.
Excessive use of diesel and the loss of generation units overnight led to the implementation of stage 6 load-shedding, Eskom said.
The power utility cited the failure of eight generating units overnight as one of the reasons for the higher stage of power cuts.
Load-shedding was reduced to stage 4 on Thursday and was set to remain on this level until Sunday morning, after which an improvement to stage 3 load-shedding had been expected.
However, the situation has since deteriorated.
Eskom said the higher stage of power cuts “was necessary due to the failure of eight generating units overnight and the excessive reliance on OCGTs (open cycle gas turbines) and pumped storage generation that is rapidly depleting these reserves.”
Coming just days after the news of the resignation of Eskom CEO Andre De Ruyter on Wednesday, SA’s energy crisis is set to be the elephant in the room when the ANC’s Nasrec conference kicks off.
Political analyst Susan Booysen said discussions about the energy crisis and solutions would provide a credibility test for the seriousness with which the ANC takes governance and managing the economy.
“The energy crisis is more than just the elephant in the room. It is much bigger than a herd of buffalo in a room. The buffalo are angry and can trample anything,” says Booysen.
Energy commentator Chris Yelland said load-shedding would be a big issue at the conference. “It has a broad impact on people, businesses and organisations throughout the country and is top of mind of everybody because of the inconvenience and impact on the economy.”
The ANC’s Economic Transformation Committee is expected to handle the bulk of the policy battles.
Delegates need to guard against populist or impractical policies that don’t create an environment for investment and growth, Business Unity SA CEO Cas Coovadia said..
At previous conferences populist decisions such as the “nationalisation” of the SA Reserve Bank, changing the constitution to enable land expropriation without compensation and the development of a state bank were mooted.
“All of those populist issues, they have no rationale,” Coovadia said.
The policy conversation needs to be tied with the leadership mix the party will choose, said Black Management Forum President Andile Nomlala.
When it comes to the NEC, suitably qualified men and women within the organisation must be elected, he said.
The aftermath of De Ruyter's resignation may still linger at the conference and beyond.
“The Eskom catastrophe cannot be dealt with by politicians alone,” Nomlala said.
However, as a central part of SA politics, it matters what the ANC decides at the conference. “This is a critical conference for the ANC,” said Coovadia.
“The ANC is still the majority party in parliament. It has a significant influence on government and on policy and what happens in this country from the point of view of economic development and social development,” he said.
“We are in a significant crisis in this country. We have no economic growth. We have suboptimal levels of investment both from South African and global investors because the environment is not conducive for investment.”
“We have significant social problems. And yet, we can’t seem to have business and government work together bilaterally.”
Updated throughout to add more voices
With TimesLIVE
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