Posts tagged with 'power cuts'

 

Eskom’s #RollingBlackouts Schedule Collapses into Chaos Leaving Traffic Lights Dead in Rush Hour Despite Promises!

Posted on Leave a comment

Eskom’s rolling blackout load shedding system, and its published schedules, have completely collapsed, causing so much chaos that no one is sure anymore when load shedding will be applied in a particular area, further exacerbating the energy crisis. Yet still it tries to pretend it is business as usual…

The embattled power supplier is currently enforcing its Phase 2 program of rolling power cuts nationwide, and had announced with great fanfare that city traffic will be “assisted” at peak times, by not applying power cuts from 6:00 to 9:00 in the morning, and then again from 16:00 in the afternoon to 18:00 to ensure that “dead” traffic lights do not allow traffic jams.

It worked one morning, and then not again, which made workers, industrialists, motorists businessman and even housewives hot under he collar.

Meanwhile, complaints are pouring in that Eskom’s “WhatsAPP” schedule differs from its schedul
Continue reading…

Enjoyed this post? Share it!

 
 

Eskom with debt burden of more than R450 billion cuts power supply to parts of Soweto due to default

Posted on Leave a comment

The national power supplier is struggling to keep up with its debt burden of more than R450bn and the ineffective functioning of many power plants.

In addition to its own problems, Eskom has continued to act reluctantly against municipalities that do not pay their monthly consumption to Eskom, and Eskom is too cumbersome to act against the defaulters.

Areas such as Orange Farm and parts of Soweto’s power have been cut off due to default, and although it has been asked for years for power supply to be cut off by defaulters, Eskom has remained cowardly and did not.

On the last day of October, Eskom decided to cut off the power of certain defaulters, but the correct method should be to warn all municipalities that are over 30 days in arrears that their power will be cut off within two weeks if payment is not made.

Continue reading…

Enjoyed this post? Share it!

 
 

The DA’s Natasha Mazzone is highly suspicious of how much money is being spent on emergency diesel at Eskom, urging President Ramaphosa to “come clean”.

Posted on Leave a comment

The Shadow Public Enterprises Minister Natasha Mazzone has grilled Cyril Ramaphosa just hours before the polls open for the 2019 Elections. The DA MP – best known for her firebrand speeches in Parliament – wants the president to disclose more information on the deals to procure “emergency diesel supplies” for Eskom.

It’s understood that the opposition party has had a Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) request denied. Mazzone and her team wanted to investigate how much has been spent on the utility’s fuel reserves since 2007, but they’ve had the door slammed in their face.

Natasha Mazzone asks Ramaphosa: “What are you hiding?”
For the shadow cabinet minister, the silence has been deafening. As Pravin Gordhan’s opposite number, she has been following the progress of Eskom closely and firmly believes that the ANC is misappropriating funds in order to keep the lights on up until Wednesday’s vote.

Continue reading…

Enjoyed this post? Share it!

 
 

SA is on the verge of a total “blackout” due to Eskom’s inability to provide power – National Power Supply and ANC regime are ready for phase 5 & 6

Posted on Leave a comment

The ANC government and Eskom are reportedly in the process of getting plans in place for phase 5 and phase 6 power outages. There are fears that the system will collapse completely, despite Pravin Gordhan’s assurance that there will be no more than phase 4 shedding.

All available diesel has been bought to supply emergency turbines while boiler tubes at eight units in three power stations are getting down.

Power outages are here and will be with us. Gordhan acknowledges that parts are currently unavailable for maintenance and that it will take time to get the parts.

However, Eskom denied that there would be such drastic interruptions and said they were only “contingency plans”.

Gordhan says they understand the frustration loadshedding has put on South Africans and promised that Eskom will get it right in the next few years.

Eskom and government have started planning for Stage 5 and Stage 6 load shedding, according
Continue reading…

Enjoyed this post? Share it!

 
 

Medupi units drowning in ash as contractor forced to withdraw – Shows Eskom’s failure to operate the plant at the completed units properly – Just one more accomplishment of the ANC- regime

Posted on Leave a comment

The five power generation units at Eskom’s troubled new Medupi power station that have been operational are drowning in ash after Clyde Bergemann Africa (CBZ), which was contracted to supply and construct the dust handling units, withdrew its staff from the power station.

CBZ managing director Jeremy Kirsch confirmed to Moneyweb on Monday that the business was placed in business rescue last week, days after he spoke out about what he described as Eskom’s failure to operate the plant at the completed units properly.

CBZ has long-term maintenance contracts on eight other Eskom power stations, Kirsch told Moneyweb. CBZ staff are still on site at those power stations, he said.

EE Publishers managing editor Chris Yelland however reported last week that these workers are “on tenterhooks” and could down tools at any time.

As far as Moneyweb could establish at least four of the five operational units at Medupi were working on Monday, alth
Continue reading…

Enjoyed this post? Share it!

 
 

Eskom’s prior request for tariff hike slammed: Eskom’s stage 4 load shedding is a direct attempt to sabotage, and blackmail SA – Ordinary citizens are becoming the scapegoat to foot the bill of its complete and utter failures and lack of planning

Posted on Leave a comment

The South African Communist Party says Eskom’s management is rolling out massive blackouts in an attempt to blackmail South Africans to accept privatisation of the power utility.

Eskom resumed with loadshedding for the first time this year on Sunday.

Power cuts continued yesterday and Tuesday after a failure of generating units.

“The management of Eskom, in the manner that they are rolling out these blackouts, is trying to blackmail us so we must accept whatever should befall Eskom. We should not be blackmailed into that. That’s why we believe that these blackouts can be avoided,” SACP first deputy general secretary Solly Mapaila stated.

Mapaila said one of reasons given by Eskom for load shedding was low stocks of diesel.

“Why can’t they procure enough diesel on time? It is all of those things that I think are just unacceptable. The reasons why there were blackouts and so forth were issues of leadership incompetence. W
Continue reading…

Enjoyed this post? Share it!

 
 

South Africans should brace for more rolling blackouts as the power grid is unstable and cannot produce enough power to sustain the country

Posted on Leave a comment

Eskom warned of wider controlled power cuts on Monday after six additional generating units unexpectedly went offline. The power utility launched stage 4 load shedding, which requires the shedding of 4 000 megawatts from the grid.

The Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry is shocked by the sudden dramatic increase in load shedding.

“How is it possible for six units to go down at the same time?” asked Ms Janine Myburgh, President of the Chamber. “It is just too much of a co-incidence and we must ask if this is not another case of sabotage?”

Sabotage was blamed for a previous bout of load shedding, but the form it took was never explained to the public, except for workers who prevented coal deliveries from taking place.

“Stage Four load shedding is very serious indeed and it will affect commerce and industry. This will also affect the jobs of other workers, especially in heavy industry and it is time that workers whose jobs are at
Continue reading…

Enjoyed this post? Share it!