Why is the electricity problem in South Africa not going away anytime soon?

The problem of electricity in the country has always been controversial; it is a commotion that that we have learnt to tolerate as a country. The term “load shedding” has become commonplace, a part of our daily lives. It has been nearly two decades since our lifestyle accommodated the term “load shedding,” and to some extent, we are no longer burdened by the lack of electricity in our homes because we have learned to outsource alternative energy sources in our homes, such as solar, gas, and generators.

Now we hear of the massive debt Eskom accumulated over the years, which is a concern because it means the debt is not going away anytime soon. We have not experienced stable Eskom in terms of management, operations, and performance, and as a result, we can’t expect any form of accountability.

The story of Eskom is chaotic and unreliable; hence, activities of corruption are constantly linked with Eskom. What is clear, though, is that Eskom is one of the major economic drivers because, in order for economic activities to take place, there must be electricity, meaning the right to electricity is fundamental now.

I think Eskom is equally important as chapter 9 institutions are, and is not just a state company but the only vehicle designed to cater to our basic need of access to electricity. Democracy cannot operate without electricity, and a lack of electricity is not just an infringement on human rights but a direct threat to democracy, too.

The South African public never raised questions or grew curious enough to want to know the internal activities taking place at Eskom. I mean, Eskom is part of the soul, if not the spirit, of the country, and yet most South Africans are not aware of the operations of Eskom.

Amongst many historical moments in Eskom’s existence was 9 February 2023, when President Ramaphosa declared a state of disaster on Eskom, and that effectively gave the president powers to enforce certain directives; it was at this juncture that we were introduced to what is known as the Energy Action Plan.

The Energy Action Plan was meant to be implemented during this period, which was characterised by mainly procurement directives, especially the outsourcing of renewables.

This period made it possible for Eskom to outsource services and goods without necessarily giving respect to standardised procurement policy, such as BEE, local beneficiation, and fair market value price index, because that was during a period of state of disaster.

To date, we don’t know how much money Eskom spent during this period, though the duration of the state of disaster of Eskom was brief. What is certain, though, is that Eskom spent lots of money and possible signed long-term contracts of financial commitments, and that information is yet to be disclosed.

What is interesting, though, is that this was not the first state of disaster declared under President Ramaphosa’s term, the first one being the COVID period. Is on record that the COVID state of disaster was characterised by mismanagement of funds, and to date, there are criminal investigations pending. Even before the state of disaster at Eskom, there were allegations of mismanagement of funds and corruption, which is quite unimaginable to think that the state of disaster was exceptional. Mpilo Mvana is an independent analyst