The 1994 elections were a turning point for all residents of this country. The dream of a system where all our people are equal before the law had become reality. Braving the long queues was worth it, as everyone who was 18 years of age or older regardless of race was eligible to freely vote for a party of their choice.
When the ruling party took over governance of the country, promises were made to ensure every resident had access to basic services such as water, healthcare, education and electricity.
The dream of having reliable access to electricity came tumbling down in 2007, when everyone was suddenly left without power because the electrical grid had collapsed and Eskom, a state-owned entity (SOE), along with the ruling party, had failed to look into alternate ways of building new power stations. This is despite warnings by energy industry experts in the late 1990s that the electrical grid would not be able to meet demand in the future.
To manage the crisis, Eskom, with the help of municipalities, has for the past 17 years implemented load-shedding. For at least two hours a day, whether you are a small restaurant, school, household or even police station, you would be without electricity. We were lectured this was to help reduce pressure on the ailing electrical grid.
However, what was not considered was that substations and transformers were not meant to be switched on and off, as is currently the case. In Gauteng, many areas can go without electricity for a day or more when load-shedding is implemented. This is because a substation that was switched off and then put back on had tripped or its cables were stolen during load-shedding, leading to an extended electricity outage.
While load-shedding during this time only had four stages, it became evident by 2018 that demand for electricity was increasing far more quickly than anticipated, and more pressure was put on Eskom. Suddenly, residents were subjected to much higher stages of load-shedding and longer hours of electricity outages. Stages 5, 6, 7 and 8 have been introduced. In the higher stages of load-shedding, it became the norm that for at least eight hours a day, businesses and residents would be left without electricity.
In Gauteng, where the supply of water is dependent on electricity, residents are not only left without power but also water. Many industries are dependent on water and electricity for the production of certain goods. Load-shedding and the lack of water mean the economic hub of the country is taking a brutal beating. This has resulted in many job losses and many small businesses, particularly those that operate in the township economy, having to close their doors.
Fixing infrastructure that should have been properly maintained regularly should not be done as a way to reduce load-shedding. All that is being done is maintenance that is long overdue
This dire state was revealed in a reply to our questions tabled in the Gauteng provincial legislature that indicated that during 2022, more than 300,000 job opportunities were lost due to ongoing load-shedding. A total of R103m in potential gross domestic product was also lost during this time. In 2022, Gauteng experienced 3,212 hours of load-shedding.
For the past five years, the government has promised that measures are being put in place to ensure the province becomes less reliant on Eskom. A solar farm in Merafong was supposed to be built, and this would at least provide some relief from the never-ending rolling blackouts.
Last year, Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi indicated load-shedding would come to an end in the province by the end of January 2024. We are now in April, and Gauteng residents are still experiencing load-shedding. During his state of the province address, the premier again announced that plans are afoot to build a solar farm in Merafong and that this would help ease the impact of load-shedding on the province.
Furthermore, as part of the energy crisis response plan, premier Lesufi indicated they have installed 333 out of the 429 transformers to date. According to the premier, 32,000 township households have benefited from the project. While this is a step in the right direction to ensure all households have access to electricity, this will not assist in reducing the impact of load-shedding. In fact, these households should not have been left without electricity in the first place.
Fixing infrastructure that should have been properly maintained regularly should not be done as a way to reduce load-shedding. All that is being done is maintenance that is long overdue.
The DA has a plan to fix the electricity crisis and make the province less dependent on Eskom. Our plan has clear timelines on when and how independent power producers (IPPs) will be brought on board to provide additional electricity that can be fed into the grid.
A DA government is committed to implementing proper solutions to the energy crisis. The first step to lessening the impact of load-shedding is by generating additional electricity through partnerships with IPPs and incentivising solar panel installation for consumers through tax breaks negotiated with the South African Revenue Service.
In addition, the DA government is committed to providing an uninterrupted supply of electricity by buying back excess electricity generated by consumers. This can be fed back into the grid, making more electricity available.
These are a few practical solutions we will use to improve the supply of electricity in Gauteng. But again, this can only be implemented by the DA when we are voted in to govern the province. Until that happens, the province will continue to lose valuable revenue that can help improve investor confidence and grow the economy.
• Solly Msimanga is an MPL and the DA’s Gauteng premier candidate
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