Sunday Times Online 20/1/08 — 01/21/2008
QUESTIONS FOR MBEKI GOVERNMENT ABOUT ELECTRICITY 'CRISIS'

Call by DA for halt to electricity exports

The Democratic Alliance is to quiz government on why state utility Eskom is supplying power to South Africa's neighbours when its own people are having to deal with rolling blackouts. It has called for a halt to electricity exports, and the cancellation of power contracts with other Southern African Development Community states. 'Regardless of our contractual obligations, there can simply be no reason for South Africa to supply Namibia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique when there is such a desperate lack of reserve capacity in our domestic market,' DA public enterprises spokesman Manie van Dyk said in a statement today. It was clear South Africa was facing a national crisis, and was not in a position to look after other countries’ electricity requirements, he said.

Damage of persistent cuts to SA economy
As anger mounted across the country at the weekend over Eskom's inability to supply enough electricity, media reports quoted trade union Solidarity spokesman Jaco Kleynhans as saying Eskom exported 3,000MW of electricity to neighbouring states - close to the output of one power station. Van Dyk said government needed to explore every possible solution to the crisis, including 'suspending or terminating any agreement we may have with neighbouring states'. The DA statement said it was aware of the fact that such cancellations might lead to penalties, but it believed the cost of these would 'fade into insignificance' compared to the enormous financial losses the persistent power cuts were causing to the local economy.

'Free' transfer of electricity to prop up Mugabe regime
'We are all too aware of the negative impact this might have on ordinary people in our neighbouring states, a possibility we deeply regret. But the first priority must be electricity needs here at home. The political question should also be asked as to why we are propping up the Mugabe regime through our supply of electricity to Zimbabwe,' Van Dyk said. His party would submit parliamentary questions to the ministers of public enterprises and minerals and energy affairs, requesting details of how much power Eskom supplied to South Africa’s neighbours, and 'whether these SADC states have lived up to their contractual obligations'. According to reports, Solidarity claims Zimbabwe has not paid for the electricity it receives from South Africa.

[Comment by Ever-fasternews: Power cuts have intensified, causing serious disruption to business and personal life, as electricity supply worsens after five years of sporadic blackouts across the country. A series of questions needs to be put to the government of President Mbeki concerning its competence. It should be required to provide truthful information to Parliament, which opens early in February, on allegations that electricity has been supplied free to the dictatorial regime of Robert Mugabe, which has bankrupted Zimbabwe. Other questions include the following:

* If capital investment had taken place in upgrading the country’s electricity provision instead of being diverted to the exorbitantly corrupt and wasteful arms deal of 1998/99 – which left South Africa with a huge debt burden – would this not have avoided many of the problems which have now become acute?

* Has there been a flight of skilled engineers from South Africa, and if so, what has been the scale of this and what is the level of newly-trained engineers coming into service?

* Why should there be any confidence that South African electricity supply will be adequate to meet the extra burden entailed by the hosting of the football World Cup in 2010?

* Should investment not have been directed by government towards improving stable and comprehensive electricity provision, rather than directed to expensive prestige projects such as hosting the football World Cup and building the Gautrain from Johannesburg to Tshwane (Pretoria) and OR Tambo (Johannesburg International) Airport?

There are only some of the most obvious questions for the government to answer.]