Tebogo Msimanga |
The Democratic Alliace (DA) is calling on Eskom to provide an urgent state-of-the-system update and explain how its loadshedding schedule will be managed to ensure that it does not affect the vaccine rollout process.
Power Utility Eskom, announced on Sunday that it will implement stage 2 loadshedding until Tuesday, 18 May 2021. The DA said that announcement,just minutes before it began at 5pm, was yet another reminder that Eskom’s current status, capacity and operational constraints remain an ever present threat to South Africa’s slow economic recovery.
DA Shadow Minister of Public Enterprises Ghaleb Cachalia said “It is of particular concern that loadshedding will impact the rollout of vaccines sorely needed in the face of the continuing Covid pandemic.”
Cachalia added that what is required is a transparent assessment of capacity for the winter months so people and companies can plan ahead.
“The return of loadshedding underscores the urgent need to open the market to more generation capacity funded by the private sector. Eskom and the country is in dire need of additional capacity and it is clear that no further delays must be forthcoming.”
