Yesterday’s State of the Power System briefing from Eskom left a lot to be desired, says Earthlife Africa.

The group comments that, besides issues on financial and environmental sustainability barely being addressed, what was really missing from the briefing was an apology on behalf of the power utility to the South African public.

Eskom has failed the people of South Africa to the extent that the public must now carry the burden of continuous load-shedding for the indefinite future, it states.

“The closest the public came to an apology was CEO Tshediso Matona stating that Eskom was now opting to do the right thing, thereby acknowledging that Eskom has been doing the wrong thing,” says Earthlife Africa Johannesburg’s energy policy officer Dominique Doyle. “In fact, instead of apologising Eskom transferred the blame to the public by threatening higher electricity tariffs and to cut off indebted communities.”

Instead of taking responsibility for the electricity crisis, Eskom has chosen to hold the South African public and government to ransom with the threat of a national blackout, the organisation states.

According to Earthlife Africa Johannesburg’s senior programme manager, Makoma Lekalakala, Eskom continues to pour water into the sinking ship by maintaining the utility as a platform for political gain.

“Eskom’s explanation for the electricity crisis proves that political forces are aligning to scare the South African public into accepting a new nuclear fleet,” she says.

Earthlife has also expressed disappointment that Eskom and the Department of Energy have failed to use the current energy crisis as an opportunity to accelerate the renewable energy programme in South Africa.