South Africa’s economy is reeling under the most severe electricity blackouts in the country’s history, as load-shedding threatens to trim growth further in the continent’s most industrialised economy.
See what happens when the government is given free rein over the energy system?
“See what happens when the government is given free rein over the energy system”?.
You’re talking about the UK there Tim, surely?
Several points: South Africa in 1990 produced half of the electricityin Africa
In 1994 it’s electricity was the cheapest in the world. This while still being a state owned company
In 1995 the country was projected to have electricity shortages by 2005 without further investment. Instead the new state bought two submarines and other military paraphernalia with money conveniently channeled into the ANC election coffers and other sundry connections. In 2005 the shortages started, huge borrowing ensued and shoddy overpriced much delayed power stations erected while Eskom itself replaced experienced managers and engineers with cadre deployment: the institutional knowledge eevaporated so that maintenance schedules were ignored and vast sums enriched said cadres. One in 300 working people in SA work for Eskomat the highest average wage and benefits and they are engaged in constant threats and industrial action(units go offline simultaneously). Privatization is anathema to both the ANC and those to the left of it. GOK how one gets out of this mess. At least South Africans have had a long time to adapt unlike Europeans who take reliable energy for granted.l
Interestingly I always note that many of the features of the future:
– No power/ reversion to the stone age
– 273 genders
– Sexual deviance given unlimited license
– Severe restrictions on freedom of speech
Seem to be ‘beta tested’ in the former British colonies – like South Africa, Ireland and Australia, New Zealand etc. Is this a deliberate ‘thumbing of the nose’ to the UK?
V-P, I thought we were just copying you!!!!
umm Boganboy…. As far as I can tell Oz had already gone down the Rabbit Hole 20-odd years ago when I had a girlie there and tried to go over and become a Convict.
It’s amazing how obstinately hell-bent on outperforming the very worst aspects of the UK and US the local and national politicians were back then.
And it’s gotten only worse since then…
Given that electricity generation was apparently state owned – and functioned – under the apartheid regime, what else could have changed since it’s downfall?
It’s a mystery wrapped in an enigma…
And just about all its fuel for energy was domestically sourced under Apartheid. It used coal to make oil and gas
@Jonathan
It’s as though the concept of maintenance and planning for the future are alien to people who never had to maintain anything or plan for the future.
I remember when you filled up at a petrol station in SA, the petrol smelled different. Had, perhaps still has, it’s own smell. You would sit in the car, open the window and pay the boy.
AARRRGGHHH!!!! Its, not It’s. FFS! I will self-flagellate extra hard in the sauna today for my horrid error.
Africans fucking up Africa.
There’s something new and different.
Boganboy
There is that of course! In some ways though you’re outstripping the mother country!
Kyle, that’s impossible surely? In the Current Year, everyone is just as good at everything as everyone else…
V_P
Sigh!!! I must admit I was fascinated by the way the electricity idiots waited until lovely Labor had defeated the loathsome Libs to publish their screed on how the system was going to crash any day now. And that, since the coal fired power stations weren’t being maintained properly so they could back up the renewables, we need to build lots more renewables and get rid of horrid coal.
Of course, if they’d pulled that one before the election, even ScMo would have seen that he was trapped. Since he couldn’t possibly have out-greened both the Greens and Labor, he’d have had to switch to a policy of supporting fossil fuels. And even more hideous, this would’ve WORKED!!!!
Naturally they couldn’t support such an evil, white supremacist, racist, fascist approach. So the drivel was pumped out afterwards to give Albo backing for his renewable rubbish.
Maybe ppl were happier in the stone age when there was no power to fuel censorship tech?