PODCAST: SA’s power cuts are deliberately inflicted by the ruling party
08 November 2022 - 08:00
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.
Robin Renwick, Lord Renwick, was the UK ambassador to South Africa from 1987 to 1991. He was here for the end of PW Botha and the release of Nelson Mandela.
In this edition of Podcasts from the Edge, he tells Peter Bruce of his rank disappointment at the way the “new beginning” he played such a large role in has been frittered away. South Africa, he says, “has almost the lowest literacy rate in Africa, let alone the world. It is a catastrophic failure, and appalling situation.”
Still a big fan of the country and a frequent visitor, he will give the annual FW de Klerk lecture in Cape Town on Friday. He will tell his audience that load-shedding should be called by its name, power cuts, and that “power cuts are deliberately inflicted on South Africa by the ruling party’s” refusal to allow private companies to generate their own power.
That might be changing now, but the ANC’s “addiction to state-run everything” is going to take a long time to turn around.
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.
PODCAST: SA’s power cuts are deliberately inflicted by the ruling party
Robin Renwick, Lord Renwick, was the UK ambassador to South Africa from 1987 to 1991. He was here for the end of PW Botha and the release of Nelson Mandela.
In this edition of Podcasts from the Edge, he tells Peter Bruce of his rank disappointment at the way the “new beginning” he played such a large role in has been frittered away. South Africa, he says, “has almost the lowest literacy rate in Africa, let alone the world. It is a catastrophic failure, and appalling situation.”
Still a big fan of the country and a frequent visitor, he will give the annual FW de Klerk lecture in Cape Town on Friday. He will tell his audience that load-shedding should be called by its name, power cuts, and that “power cuts are deliberately inflicted on South Africa by the ruling party’s” refusal to allow private companies to generate their own power.
That might be changing now, but the ANC’s “addiction to state-run everything” is going to take a long time to turn around.
NEVA MAKGETLA: Solutions for power crisis offer little to small businesses or households
Power crisis likely to worsen over next five years, Eskom report shows
EDITORIAL: SA power supply constraints likely to worsen
Ramaphosa suggests Soweto debt to Eskom can be scrapped
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Most Read
Published by Arena Holdings and distributed with the Financial Mail on the last Thursday of every month except December and January.