SA's electricity crisis | Solutions to Eskom's power problems

JOHANNESBURG - ANC national spokesperson Pule Mabe has highlighted some of the issues that are contributing to the ongoing blackouts in the country.

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He says although cable theft is of major concern, ailing infrastructure and poor leadership are factors that also need to be looked at within the struggling power utility.

Mabe said, "we need a full report that begins to tell us a story about the age of the infrastructure…Is it ailing?"

"The population has grown…we have tried to put in new industries to allow for the creation of new jobs… The renewables that are being spoken about, other forms of generation, are they sufficient?"

"Are they helping the situation that are finding ourselves in? We are hopeful that when our cabinet reflects on this, they will look at everything in totality."

"This means this leadership…when you are looking at a crisis, you cannot exclude the leadership."

"Look at the leadership of Eskom, look at the technical capacity that you have at Eskom, Look at the infrastructure that you have to contribute towards the generation of energy, look at the investment that we are putting as a country or the national fiscus to be able to assist that Eskom generate its own energy."

"Look at your own risk management plan…The copper cables that are being stolen, we don’t talk about that…We must also remember that those people who are stealing copper cables are also affecting the ability of Eskom to fulfill its own energy security obligations."