More loadshedding on the cards - tell us extent of crisis at Eskom says Cope

The Congress of the People (Cope) says the country needs to know the true extent of the crisis that power utility Eskom is facing.

Eskom’s spokesperson Khulu Phasiwe tweeted on Monday that the power utility would implement stage 2 loadshedding from 9am until 10pm. The power utility apologised for the inconvenience.

“The president of SA, Cyril Ramaphosa, must ‘stand up to the plate’ and give the nation a full and honest explanation as to the electricity generation crisis we face - and what, if anything, is government doing about it,” said the party in a statement

It is said that Eskom has prepared a report that paints a disturbing picture of it’s ability to ‘keep the lights on’, but that it is being suppressed for political reasons given the impending elections.

Eskom’s debt service costs have doubled in just a single year to R45bn, Business Day reported last week, highlighting the perilous state of the power utility, which supplies about 90% of SA’s energy needs.

Eskom has applied to the National Energy Regulator of SA for an electricity tariff hike of 15% a year for the next three years.

Earlier this month, the company said 10 out of 15 coal-fired power stations were experiencing supply shortages. Its coal stockpiles also face the added risk of getting wet during summer rains.