South Africa expects harsh winters and power outages

Lindie Dlamini, a mother of two from Johannesburg, is frustrated: “There have been power problems here for a long time and the government isn’t doing anything about it,” she tells DW. The energy crisis in South Africa is not new, it has plagued the country for more than 15 years – and it is currently getting worse, in part because winter temperatures are falling to freezing point earlier than usual.

Thelma Ramalepe, a teacher at a school in Johannesburg, was also outraged in a DW interview – the ongoing electricity crisis had practically brought classes to a standstill: “The students in grades 10 and 11 were given tablets, but they are useless when the electricity switched off. We don’t have electricity most of the time. We keep buying gasoline to run a small generator, but that rarely works. The students can’t work.”

Angela Muyela is also unhappy about the numerous power cuts. “This power problem is really unpleasant. It starts with the simple things in everyday life, for example the refrigerator. I have two refrigerators, but I can’t use either of them in the event of a power cut,” the housewife complained to DW.

Anxious question: is there electricity in winter?

Frustration is high among the population and harbors the potential for social unrest, especially in the winter season, when electricity consumption naturally increases. The energy crisis, which has been going on for years, is a major factor affecting economic growth. It is not just industry that is affected, fisheries, agriculture and forestry are also affected. South Africa is on the brink of recession and the cost of living has risen sharply.

Meanwhile, state-owned electricity company Eskom, which provides most of the country’s energy, is racking up debt and struggling to maintain the country’s ailing coal-fired power infrastructure. It is feared that Eskom will not be able to meet the increasing demand for electricity this winter.

For teacher Thelma Ramalepe, this is a major threat: “We are told, prepare for a very cold winter. What will life be like? It will be very difficult. Most people are unemployed. They cannot afford gas. So life without electricity is just a disaster.”

The thought of a possible power cut in winter is simply frightening, says Thelma Ramalepe: “It’s scary to hear that we could be without power for weeks in June or July. Those responsible must act.”

And Lindie Dlamini, who can’t afford a power generator, adds: “I fear bad things if the power cuts continue to increase.”

“Responsible is the President”

Lindie Dlamini believes that one person is the main reason why South Africa’s energy problem is not being tackled: Head of State Cyril Ramaphosa. “I can say I hold my president responsible. Someone in control should do something about this kind of abuse. We’ve been in this crisis for far too long.”

Earlier this year, Ramaphosa announced that he would reshuffle his cabinet and create two new ministries to tackle the energy problem from the root: an electricity ministry to deal solely with the devastating blackouts, and a ministry with specific responsibility for planning , monitoring and evaluation.

But the president’s strategy hasn’t worked out so far – and the dissatisfaction of the citizens is growing. Lindie Dlamini demands that the officials responsible vacate their posts: “The government must resign. I blame them for the problems. They are either tired or incompetent. They should just go.”

Sean Muller, senior research fellow at the Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study, told DW that the president had been inactive for far too long: “President Ramaphosa had four to five years to tackle this problem. In my opinion, he became too Start ill-advised. I think he’s probably still getting ill-advised by people who have interests very different from those of the people.” South Africans are rightly frustrated.

South Africa generates about 85 percent of its energy from coal. The energy supply company Eskom is theoretically able to generate up to 45,000 megawatt hours at peak times. In practice, however, Eskom does not even manage to deliver 27,000 MWh. This results in power outages lasting several hours a day.

No quick fix in sight

According to Muller, the government does not have any really working solutions to the country’s electricity problems. It is mostly limited to purchasing generators for public buildings and planning the use of renewable energy sources. The authorities responsible for the energy sector have “lost sight of the public interest,” criticizes the scientist. “It’s long overdue to build new power plants and develop energy sources, including renewable energy. But all the renewable energy projects won’t come online for a year, two, maybe three years. So the question is what’s going on in will happen in the meantime.”

Corruption, mismanagement, a lack of staff: many factors and people are responsible for the electricity crisis in South Africa, and these can also be found in politics, says Muller.

When Ramaphosa took office five years ago, he was seen as a reformer who promised a “new tomorrow” after the scandalous tenure of his predecessor Jacob Zuma. But the massive blackouts have damaged his reputation and the trust people have placed in him and his ruling African National Congress (ANC), Muller said. “I think after five years in office it’s not unfair to say that President Ramaphosa and his advisers have really failed the people of this country in this energy crisis.”