(Photo: Dirk Hermann/Facebook)
The DA in the Western Cape calls on Eskom and Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, the Minister of Electricity, to provide more clarity on speculation that higher load-shedding phases are soon South Africa’s foreland.
According to Christopher Fry, the DA’s Western Cape spokesperson on energy, people are rightly deeply concerned about the possibility of even higher load shedding phases.
“Approximately half of the power supplier’s generation capacity is off-line due to outages. Higher phases, such as phase 10 load shedding, will be devastating – not just for the Western Cape, but for all South Africans.”
Ramokgopa and Calib Cassim, the acting chief executive officer of Eskom, are expected to appear before the Western Cape’s ad hoc committee on the energy crisis on 24 May.
“We trust that it will be a meaningful discussion and that they will give a transparent overview of the current state of affairs,” says Fry.
In the coming weeks, the committee will also meet with municipalities from across the province about progress with efforts to finally make the province load-shedding free.
“It is extremely important that all players are transparent and honest about the state of the power grid and their energy resilience initiatives,” says Fry.
“If South Africa continues on this path of relentless higher load shedding phases, our country is doomed.”
