Electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa announced that his ministry would be no longer needed by the end of this year, implying that rotational power cuts will be over. This goal is met with skepticism as Ramokgopa claims to be working hard to get out of employment. He also mentioned that there would be "significant improvement" in the next three to five months, suggesting a political timetable linked to the 29 May general elections.
Ramokgopa denied any political agenda at play and stated that the situation in the first part of this year had improved compared to the same period in 2023. However, Eskom's data shows a reduction in rolling blackouts, with just over 1,800 hours of rotational power cuts between 1 December 2022 and 16 February 2023 compared to 1,217 hours for the same period in 2023/2024. Eskom has also reported 57 days of load shedding in December 2023 and January 2024 compared to 78 days in the same period previously.
Eskom's aging fleet of power stations still faces challenges such as complex management, low morale, lack of accountability, and slow procurement. A report by the German consortium VGBE warns that targeted maintenance, done properly, needs to be ramped up, even if it means a higher level of load shedding for a limited period of time.
The ANC government, which has caused the problem through decades of mismanagement and corruption, has a track record to inspire confidence. Power cuts would be more intense and frequent without the rollout of rooftop solar and other renewable energy projects undertaken by the private sector. South Africa's economy, which only grew 0.6% last year, would also be worse if there was no shortage of power, but faster growth now would mean more power cuts.
