38 posts tagged “power cuts”
This is a Sapa piece on an article in yesterday's Business Report. I make no comment:
Eskom skimps on SA
May 7, 2008Johannesburg - In the three months to March, electricity exports rose as much as 6.1 percent year-on-year, while electricity distributed to the nine provinces fell by 1.7 percent, Statistics SA said.
T-Sec chief economist Mike Schussler said that last year local residents paid 3.7 times more for electricity than the average selling price to neighbouring countries, Business Report reported on Wednesday.
But, while exports climbed, imports fell as much as 22.4 percent, said Stats SA.
Eskom was not available to comment, the report said.
South Africa imports power from Cahora Bassa in Mozambique. - Sapa
I have been subjected to three rolling blackouts (the government prefers us to use the Newspeak term "load-shedding") of four hours each at home so far this week. During Tuesday night's outage I took the opportunity to take a photo, which for me has become the symbol of South Africa at present. You can see it here.
The South African government has been warned several times that a water crisis is looming. However, just as it did when warned about a coming power crisis 10 years ago, it is denying this.
Did it not learn anything from the power crisis that now sees us without electricity for 12 hours a week?
The fact that this appeared in the news today lends credence to the warnings:
Residents in northern Johannesburg areas were on Friday warned not to drink tap water as the quality was not up to standard, Johannesburg Water said.
Spokesperson Baldwin Matsimela said during routine sampling on Thursday, it was found that the water supply was not up to standard and people in the northern Johannesburg areas should boil their water before drinking it.
The areas affected are Northcliff, Linden, Cresta, Blairgowrie, Fairlands and the suburbs immediately surrounding them.
"The water quality has been compromised and we are conducting more tests to find out the source of the problem. We do not know as yet what effects or symptoms it would have on people who have already consumed the water," Matsimela said. (Full story here)
What is more disturbing is that this comes a week after incidents of cholera in Soweto. Will the government continue to deny that a water crisis is coming?
'Consumers must carry risks'Apr 2 2008 9:02PMJohannesburg - Consumers should carry the costs of fuel hikes and coal price fluctuations rather than Eskom, the power utility said on Wednesday. (News24)
Two questions:
1) Why do we pay taxes that go to Eskom then?
2) What is being pushed onto the citizen is actually government's responsibility, so why do we even have a government at all?
Johannesburg - Should the proposed 53% electricity price hike be finalised, South Africa would still have the cheapest electricity in the world, Minerals and Energy Minister Buyelwa Sonjica said on Tuesday.
That's according to a News24 report.
Now, how seriously can we take any statement by a government minister who suggests in Parliament that one way to save electricity would be to sleep more? Even worse, this is a minister who contributed to the power crisis by insisting early on that there was no such crisis at all!
I suggest that the minister go find some nice comfortable place in the Union Buildings to nap instead of spouting unbelievable propaganda. Her track record gives me, for one, not the slightest confidence in her credibility.
The country is being subjected to more rolling blackouts today because of the cold weather.
And this is up on the Power Alert site for our region:
Electricity supply cannot meet the demand. Please help to avoid more load shedding. Please switch off everything, except the TV and one room light.
Ah, the joys of living in a Third World country.
Given the fact that power utility Eskom has demonstrably failed this country, is it not beyond all reason that its executives are to be paid performance bonuses of R7.2m?
I cannot understand how, when the utility plunges the country into darkness through ineptitude, it can pat itself on the back and spend money on bonuses while South African citizens are to be fined for not reducing power consumption by 10%.
Why are we so accepting of such decadence and corruption?
The Times editor Ray Hartley said it perfectly in his blog yesterday: "Eskom will pay bonuses. This will send a signal to the managers that it doesn’t matter how massively they fail, they will be rewarded."
Save power or cough up
Mar 10 2008 9:05AMJames-Brent StyanJohannesburg - If South Africans don't save electricity by July 1, 2008, they can be penalised by three to five times their regular power tariffs.According to Nelisiwe Magibane, vice-director general of the department of minerals and energy, the department is finalising legislation that can have a drastic effect on SA's electricity consumers.
She says that the proposed electrical regulatory law that was approved by parliament recently has made provision for the drastic action.
The savings and penalties will be measured against use from September 2006 to October 2007.
Citypower chief Silas Zimu has also intimated that stronger regulations will be put in place for those who do not save energy.
This is how our government punishes us for its own incompetence and negligence. What a shame South Africans have lost their will to protest.
All new construction projects countrywide that are bigger than a residential home will be blocked by Eskom for the next four to six months.
New townhouse complexes, petrol stations, factories and all other construction projects where electricity provision needs to be obtained from Eskom in advance will be delayed by up to six months.
New construction projects must obtain electricity certificates before construction can begin. Eskom will delay this process by provisionally not issuing any certificates.
What happened to Trade and Industry Minister Alec Erwin's assurance earlier this year that the economy would not be affected by the power crisis and rolling blackouts? Once again, our government is shown to be made up of incompetents, thugs and liars.
I noted last week that hospitals here in South Africa would not be exempt from the latest round of rolling blackouts.
Now, it seems, a deal has been struck to allow some hospitals to have power.
The Johannesburg, Chris Hani-Baragwanath, Helen Joseph and Coronationville Hospitals are to continue to receive power. That's good news.
However, I notice that these are all Johannesburg public hospitals. I only hope that our private hospitals and public hospitals in other parts of the country have plans in place to deal with the blackouts.
