Public involvement and a different perspective on Eskom can help fix energy problems
With renewable energy an increasingly viable and profitable business, people and communities need the opportunity to invest in independent power producers
In the latter years of her life my grandmother had to have frequent visits to the doctor. While we lived in Cape Town, she lived in Johannesburg — an overnight bus trip to visit us. And so many of her visits were health or doctor’s visits. There was only one doctor who could make her better, one Dr Coetzee. No other doctor. If we arrived at his rooms and there was another doctor in his place, with that doctor’s best science Makhulu would not get better. Not even with an injection, which was also an important health ingredient. The only way Makhulu would get better was if she was seen by Dr Coetzee. I’ve been reminded of this because it was Makhulu’s birthday recently. Also, because of our government’s fixation on Eskom when thinking about energy. Like Makhulu’s insistence on Dr Coetzee, the government’s commitment to Eskom, rather than the many other ways we can effectively and developmentally meet our energy needs, fascinates me. A look at the troubles Eskom is faced with should co...
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