It has been requested that Eskom’s Minister of Energy, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, explain how the company has avoided imposing load shedding and whether or not it has been using diesel.
This is in response to reports that Eskom purchased diesel for R65 billion between 2019 and this year.
The sums spent on diesel have drawn criticism from the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP). Eskom and Ramokgopa, according to the DA’s Mimmy Gondwe, have not made their position on the usage of diesel clear.
But when he revealed to Parliament that Eskom had spent R65 billion on diesel over the previous five years, Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan clarified the situation.
According to Gondwe, this amounted to a monthly diesel expenditure of R1 billion.
“Since Minister of Energy Kgosientsho Ramokgopa and Eskom Board Chair Mteto Nyati failed miserably to clarify Eskom’s fuel usage, evidence has surfaced showing that the company has been burning diesel at a rate and volume that far exceeds NSFAS’s yearly budgets.
“Minister Pravin Gordhan, the minister of public enterprises, responded to a DA parliamentary question by revealing that Eskom has burned R65 billion in diesel to power its Open Cycle Gas Turbines (OCGTs) over the last five years.” This is equivalent to spending more over R1 billion on diesel every month for five years, according to Gondwe.
According to her, it is not sustainable to consume so much fuel.
Ramokgopa was required by the IFP to provide valid explanations for the load shedding suspension. Mkhuleko Hlengwa, the national spokesperson for the IFP, claimed that the African National Congress (ANC) was using this as an election tactic.
“The unexpected end to load shedding is seen by the IFP as a political tactic. We must not forget that Eskom reinstated Stages 2 and 3 of load shedding less than a day after the Springboks emerged victorious in the 2023 Rugby World Cup,” Hlengwa stated, emphasizing the importance of power to the nation’s economy.
Future repercussions would follow if the government was applying political pressure to the grid.
Regarding the Eskom problem, the Minister of Electricity must inspire confidence in the country.
Leave a Reply