ESKOM- Powering your world

From the moment we switch on the lights in the morning, to the time we switch them off at night, electricity would have enabled us to study, work, eat and carry out our daily chores, duties and responsibilities – at work and at home.

March 1, 2017

Tersia Gopi 3 minutes read

Be sure to save electricity and avoid high bills.

NEWCASTLE – It goes without saying that consistent, reliable and sufficient electricity supply plays a crucially-important role in our everyday lives – be it at home, work or school. There is also no doubt that consistent, reliable and sufficient electricity forms a backbone of any country’s economic growth and sustainability, including South Africa.

From the moment we switch on the lights in the morning, to the time we switch them off at night, electricity would have enabled us to study, work, eat and carry out our daily chores, duties and responsibilities – at work and at home.

At work, reliable supply of electricity enables many businesses from heavy industries such as mining, manufacturing, construction and automotive, to other important sectors of the South African economy such as retail, hospitality, financial services, and ICT, among others to remain operational, and continue to provide employment opportunities to millions of South Africans.

At home, on the other hand, electricity does not only enable us to have that hot cup of coffee on a cold winter day or to cook and switch the lights on but it also goes much beyond that – in fact, electricity allows us to be safe at night, allows us to study and, to also help our children with their homework.

In addition, the cold storage and food preparation enabled by the availability of electricity, enables us to have healthy nutrition, in turn.

As South Africans, we value health, nutrition, fitness and education and many other aspects of life. It goes without saying that in each of these, electricity is the enabling engine geared towards bringing these aspects to fruition.

Electricity also assists us in achieving our family, academic and career goals.

This value takes form in items such as mobile phones, which have become part of our daily life.

These seemingly simple two-way communication devices have become entrenched in our lives that we can, literally, no longer live without them because in many cases they have, for instance, become the only way we can connect with our loved ones who might be living in a different city, country or even a different continent.

This is only possible because we have electricity to charge the battery on our mobile phone.

At Eskom we understand electricity plays a vital role in every South African’s life and that is why we employ 42 000 full-time staff and 30 000 contractors who work 24 hours a day for 365 days every year to keep South Africa powered up.

They perform 6 900 important processes in order to generate, transmit, and distribute the energy that powers our homes, businesses and the facilities in our communities that provide us with healthcare, food, education, and clothing, among many others.

All because at Eskom we understand facilities in our communities, especially hospitals and clinics, would come to a standstill without electricity and, as a result, put into jeopardy the lives of those who are dependent on such facilities.

Eskom’s 72 000 full-time staff and contractors possess key skills and the technical know-how required to bring electricity to homes of millions of South Africans.

Of our approximately 42 000 full-time employees, 6812 are employed at a professional level and have degrees, 22 901 are skilled employees and are in possession of a diploma or similar qualification and 12 432 are semi-skilled and have at least a high school certificate.

Of our 42 000 full-time employees, 2 532 reside in the Eastern Cape, 3 177 in the Free State, 10 618 are based in South Africa’s economic hub Johannesburg, 3 779 are in KwaZulu-Natal, and 10 864 in Mpumalanga where most of Eskom’s power stations are located. Eight hundred and forty-eight are employed in the Northern Cape, 1 657 in North West, 4 749 in the Western Cape and 3 923 are based in Limpopo.

The distance travelled by Eskom staff every year in our blue and white Eskom branded fleet of vehicles is 240 000 000 kilometres. These distances are travelled by Eskom staff in order to service the full network – power lines, power stations and distribution networks in cities, suburbs, towns and even remote villages across South Africa.

Eskom also boasts 28 power stations that, combined, produce 43 142 Mega-Watts of electricity per year.

Eskom’s power lines across South Africa cover 368 331 kilometres – enough to go around the globe nine times.

Indeed, consistent, reliable and sufficient electricity supply plays a vital role in our everyday lives – be it at home, work or at school. Eskom understands this and that is why we remain committed to continue to light up and power every South African’s world.

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