Ramokgopa offers Eskom workers incentive to ease power cuts

Electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa promised Eskom workers will enjoy a “better Christmas” if it improves generation capacity.

This is despite the ailing utility posting a net loss after tax of R24bn, up from R12bn the previous year, and the government recently announcing planned cost-cutting. It also comes as load-shedding alternated between stages 2 and 3 for most of last week after a nine-day reprieve.

Ramokgopa made this promise during an oversight visit to the Arnot power station on Monday in a clip shared by Newzroom Afrika.

“If you continue the good work [and] the better the performance, the better the incentive. You’ll see it in your pockets. Once you give us the kind of progress, the kind of improvement we want, you’ll see your families will be happy and you’re going to enjoy a better Christmas.

“Let us undermine load-shedding,” he said.

Eskom presented its annual results for the year ended March 31 last Tuesday.

Acting CEO Calib Cassim said the utility had to implement load-shedding on 280 days during the year, compared with 65 days the previous year, according to BusinessLIVE.

Despite some of the R254bn in debt relief announced by the National Treasury in February starting to flow to the utility, its debt burden increased from R396bn in the 2022 financial year to R423bn in 2023.

Last month, the Treasury proposed drastic measures to trim the fat and curb wastage in government spending, warning of unprecedented challenges and raising a red flag over SA’s deteriorating public finances.

TimesLIVE