Load-Shedding Soft Threat Becomes Devastating Reality, Ahead of Sona

LOAD-SHEDDING SOFT THREAT BECOMES DEVASTATING REALITY, AHEAD OF SONA

By Kevin Mileham

DA Spokesperson on Electricity & Energy

Eskom has confirmed, devastatingly, that Stage 3 load-shedding will be implemented from 5pm today – less than a week before the President’s State of the Nation Address.

This also comes just a day after NERSA announced a cumulative electricity tariff increase of 16.7%, forcing South Africans to pay even more for a service that Eskom is failing to provide.

This is yet another devastating blow to South Africans who endure power cuts despite years of promises that the crisis will be resolved. The DA stands with you.

The DA has been clear: the time for half-measures is over. Tariff increases and quick fixes will not solve this crisis – only bold, structural reform will.

The government must act immediately to:

– Recover the billions in municipal debt owed to Eskom.

– Fully separate Eskom’s power generation and transmission divisions.

– Create private sector competition by breaking Eskom’s power generation function into smaller companies for privatization.

The DA will take these urgent proposals to the Presidency through Operation Vulindlela to ensure that the GNU delivers real energy reform.

South Africans cannot afford more of the same failures.

We stand with the people of South Africa in this fight and will not stop until load-shedding is a thing of the past.