EFF leader Julius Malema (R) during his interview on Wednesday, 24 May 2023, with the BBC’s ‘HARDtalk’ with Stephen Sackur. Picture: Twitter/ @BBCHARDtalk
As South Africa continues to endure rolling blackouts, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has reiterated his claim that the country’s electricity grid is on the verge of collapse.
Malema, in an interview on Wednesday with the BBC’s HARDtalk with Stephen Sackur, warned of anarchy, looting, and a leaderless revolution if the power grid collapses.
While Malema says he doesn’t want to see this scenario unfolding, he believes a nationwide blackout is inevitable and will lead to chaos in the country.
“I’m telling you, there is going to be a revolution. Let the grid collapse, as it’s going to happen, and see what’s going to happen to this country. I’m not wishing it, [but] I’m saying it is going to happen and you will see what’s going to happen.
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“Do you think that once the grid collapses people are going to exchange roses with government? People are going to rise and when they rise; there will not be any leader who will be leading them. They will be leaderless, there will be anarchy, [and] looting all over this country because nothing will be working,” he said.
The EFF leader’s warning, which he has not provided any evidence to support his claims, comes after he made a similar warning last week during a media briefing in Johannesburg.
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He said that the grid would collapse in two weeks’ time and the country would be plagued with complete darkness.
“We are almost at a point of grid collapse. It’s a reality that South Africans must know that we are heading to darkness and ANC politicians are continuing business as usual as if we are not in a crisis. We are in a deep, deep, deep crisis,” Malema said at the time.
His remarks were disputed by Eskom in a media statement assuring South Africans that there were measures in place to avoid the collapse of the power system.
“The grid is by no means at a higher or imminent risk of a collapse and it would take an unforeseen and sudden sequence of events that results in a cascading collapse of the transmission or generation system, leading to a complete loss of supply across the country.
READ: Measures are in place to avoid grid collapse, says Eskom
“Eskom has robust contingency plans in place to deal with such an eventuality,” the struggling power utility said.
Malema in his BBC interview said he was neither exaggerating nor spreading panic about his warnings about an imminent blackout in the country.
He cited the remarks made by Eskom’s management and board last week during a media briefing, warning citizens to prepare for stage 8 load shedding this winter.
He said the warning from Eskom was meant to prepare South Africans for a potential grid collapse.
“I am not exaggerating. I said this before they told you there was a stage 8 coming. Stage 8 is to prepare you that the worst is coming, and I was telling the truth as is.
No, I am not spreading panic. I am telling the truth. We are in stage 8 after I spoke. What could be worse than stage 6, if you are talking about panic?
The EFF commander-in-chief added that Eskom was just being “polite” about its announcement of stage 8 rolling power cuts.
“They are just being polite, we are going to go days without electricity. It is a reality that we need to deal with.
“Even after announcing stage 8 in the manner they did – which ANC politician have you seen panicking? Which president have you seen calling the nation into confidence about what is really happening? We hear from officials as if we don’t have elected leadership of this country,” he said.
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