(Previously in Transform SA Edition 33)
Although renewable energy systems are costly to implement, they cannot be equivalent to the diabolic cost of recurrent load shedding on our economy.
We recognize that our country has an abundance of coal, but coal alone, along with other high-emission sources, is insufficient to meet the country’s energy demands. Eskom’s failure to meet the country’s power demand is a result of poor planning and our leader’s inability to take proactive measures. We desperately need cost-effective alternatives, especially for the
poor and marginalized.
We can only assume what’s in the plan our government has recently submitted to donors who have pledged $ to help the country’s transition to renewable energy. So far, President Cyril Ramaphosa(whose days in the presidency seem to be numbered) has made a list of unending announcements and ‘plans’ to implement renewable energy and end the days of load-shedding but nothing tangible has been presented thus far.
As long as we have incapable, greedy, and freeloaders for leaders our load-shedding days will never end. Rumours that load shedding emanates from a capitalist conspiracy to create an impression
that the state is failing to sustain the entity for citizens to think the SOE can only thrive under private ownership cannot be out-ruled either.
Recent scandals surrounding our president indicate how ambitious he is as a businessman and a capitalist, so much so that he does not mind bending the rules in his favour. The solutions to our power problems.