DEAR Editor,-
If anything, recent deliberations from Eskom have served to confuse the public entirely while escalating urban myths around the ongoing capture.
After suggesting reasons such as a lack of coal, diesel shortages and plant unavailability, Eskom has suddenly decided to abandon load-shedding.
ALSO READ : Uvongo residents left powerless after cable theft
The public has also been promised no load-shedding during the annual Christmas holidays, resulting from a ‘return to work’ order for Eskom’s senior managers – who were immediately deployed to report directly to power stations.
The economic logic of all this is as clear as mud. Eskom has over 480 E-Band ‘senior managers’ on top of thousands of D-Band managers.
Truth be told, I estimate that around 90 percent of these managers would not be able to identify Eskom’s 15 coal-fired stations on a map, let alone find their way to these stations to report for duty.
The sheer logistics of 32 new managers arriving at each coal station on Monday morning will inevitably cause havoc, never mind the burden to kit visitors out with uniforms and safety equipment.
These new reports will further need to undergo a safety induction program of sorts and meet with an already overburdened power station manager to discuss and draw up a duty list or job description.
As far as presenting decisions for the economy, surely the correct option would be to have load-shedding during holidays to preserve resources as a guarantee that lights will be on when returning to work in January?
If coal supplies run out over the holidays, they would not be replenished until the end of January.
If asked, I would have suggested increasing load-shedding and applying maintenance during the holidays to better secure power when SA returns to work in 2019.
I sometimes feel as if I am losing my (capitalistic) mind and am not surprised SA is mired in massive unemployment and negative economic growth.
To my simple mind, these two decisions must rank as the worst Eskom could have made in December 2018 – decisions we will rue in 2019 when we return to work – powerless.
TED BLOM
Energy Expert Coalition contributor
HAVE YOUR SAY
Like our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram
For news straight to your phone, add us on WhatsApp 082 421 6033
