Thembisa residents force suspension of electricity hikes
This month an increase in electricity tariffs came into effect across the country's municipalities,
in line with Eskom's hikes in April.
READ: Ekurhuleni mayor temporarily suspends Thembisa electricity hike
But residents of Thembisa in Ekurhuleni, refuse to take this lying down. And they have made their anger known by barricading roads with burning tyres, debris and rocks.
Out of that chaos, the Ekurhuleni metro has now backed down, suspending the increases.
eNCA reporter Bafedile Moerane has filed this report.
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Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading However, one thing that struggle veterans accomplished and won in conserving – conservatives – is the ability to treat fellow Black people equally and more than the brutality of colonialism and apartheid. And don't think the comrades didn't admire many of the Nazi and apartheid police tactics on propaganda and 'managing the masses'; whenever they sip on those expensive whiskies, they can never give up on mqombothi and Cuban cigars – true managers of their own, but only to their demise. It's easy to predict the typical sarcastic behaviour of these individuals when they lose touch with 'our people.' Typically, after looting the nation and stripping it bare of any colonial and post-independence glory prescribed and maintained by 'racist white oppressors,' the comrades begin to focus more on 'identifying threats,' not like NATO or the IDF, but within the oppressed – and this is almost always where they excel. 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Prior to the start of loadshedding in 2007 and onwards, South Africa had some of the cheapest electricity in the world. But this wasn't because of efficiency or good governance. Eskom was politically mandated to maintain cheap electricity – damn the costs. This was its purpose since its inception in 1923. And in its quest to deliver unsustainably cheap electricity to drive industrialisation based on false pretence, Eskom failed to achieve even the most Kindergarten of economic rules. It failed to cover its costs. Eskom was never allowed to behave like a real business. Even when energy demand surged, it could not raise prices or reinvest profits to build new power plants. By the time blackouts hit in 2007, the cracks were decades old. Government-backed loans and subsidies kept Eskom alive, but the parastatal increasingly had to cut costs to keep prices low. It fired key experts, mothballed power stations, and delayed maintenance and expansion. Sanctions and turmoil became a blessing in disguise during the Apartheid era, as the economy shrunk – allowing Eskom's decreased ability to produce electricity to go unnoticed. But post-1994, the ANC added other mandates to Eskom. On top of providing cheap, plentiful electricity, Eskom also had to engage in racialised politics and expand electrification across the country. This resulted in mismanagement and corruption, as the utility lost sight of its key purpose. If the electricity prices were market driven, the laws of supply and demand would have warned Eskom that it was expanding demand far faster than its supply. It could have cautioned demand growth with higher prices, using the increased profits to build reserves and expand production. But Eskom is not a rational economic actor – it's a political one. It only cared about obeying orders from politicians who only care about votes and graft. When pricing is dictated politically, there's no incentive for efficiency, innovation, or even sustainability. On top of corruption and mismanagement – all key features of a state-run enterprise – these unsustainably low prices meant that Eskom couldn't build cash reserves, hire the engineers it needed, or build new power plants on time. So, when economic and population growth finally caught up with electricity production, we experienced rolling blackouts. If prices had been market driven, this wouldn't have happened. A power utility would be able to raise prices when electricity is scarce and lower them when electricity is plentiful. But for this to be possible, Eskom needs to be privatised, and its monopoly removed. Competition between businesses drives innovation and holds businesses accountable. We cannot know the true price of a good when there is only one seller. Private electricity companies competing to sell as sustainably cheap electricity as possible would result in not only a decent price of electricity that reflects reality – but also give correct signals to the economy so that economic growth doesn't hinge on a lie. South Africa's electricity crisis is not just about corruption or incompetence. It is about the fundamental failure of central planning. By removing Eskom's pricing power and monopolising generation, the government cut the lifeline of basic economics: profit, reinvestment, and price signals. If we want a sustainable, affordable energy future, we must return to first principles: let markets determine prices, let private companies compete, and let Eskom finally face the real cost of doing business – or get out of the way. | Nicholas Woode-Smith Free Market Foundation
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We delve into the difference between load reduction and load shedding. Image: Supplied Residents in Gauteng can expect load reduction until Sunday. Consumers can expect outages lasting approximately six to five hours, with the load reduction implemented during peak demand periods from 5 am to 9 am and 5 pm to 10 pm. According to Eskom, the ongoing pressure on transformers and mini-substations due to illegal connections and electricity theft in certain areas necessitates this load reduction to prevent equipment damage. It's important to note that there is a difference between load shedding and load reduction—terms that are frequently used interchangeably. While both result in temporary power cuts, they serve distinct purposes and are triggered by different circumstances. In a statement released by Eskom on August 1, the power system was reported to remain stable, with over half of its coal-fired power stations performing at an Energy Availability Factor (EAF) of 70% and above. 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The Citizen
a day ago
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Farmers fret over plans to store spent nuclear fuel in their backyard
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Since 1985, nearly all the nuclear waste from Koeberg – including old fuel racks and protective clothing used at the plant – as well as similar waste from Necsa's Safari research reactor at Pelindaba, has been disposed at the site in steel and concrete drums. ALSO READ: Ramokgopa wants to expand South Africa's nuclear programme This constitutes low-level nuclear waste. Intermediate-level waste includes, for example, filters and resin, which are cast into concrete drums. These are transported by road, via the R355 between Calvinia and Springbok, to be placed in a trench at Vaalputs and later covered with clay. The area is very remote, with limited cellphone reception and the condition of the road leaves much to be desired, says Burden, who speaks on behalf of the Kliprand Agricultural Association – one of five such associations in the area. Nonetheless, government's minimal communication over the last 40 years has only been with one of the other associations, says Burden. 'They sometimes hold meetings, but these are held in communities and all that is discussed are bursaries for students and job opportunities. Our safety concerns are not addressed,' says Burden. ALSO READ: Ramokgopa wants an 'idiot's guide' on nuclear to be created for South Africans 'The emergency plan for transporting the waste relies on calling for help if a truck carrying the nuclear waste is involved in an accident due to the poor road conditions.' But, what if there is no signal? It is one thing when only low- and intermediate level waste is being transported, but spent nuclear fuel? Nicholls explains that the waste currently disposed of at Vaalputs has a half-life of 30 years. This means the risk of radiation from contact with the material will be reduced by half in 30 years. To be completely harmless, it will take ten times that long – about 300 years. The spent fuel is a different matter. 'They glow when they are removed,' says Nicholls. This type of waste decays rapidly in the first ten years, but it will take more than 100 000 years to return to the same level of radiation found in uranium in its natural form, he explains. ALSO READ: Will R9bn nuclear reactors lower SA's energy costs? 'Interim' measures Until about five years ago, the spent fuel at Koeberg was stored in a specially designed pool on site. The volume is relatively small. 'If you stack all the spent fuel that has been used at Koeberg alongside each other, it would not be the size of a tennis court,' says Nicholls. About five years ago, Eskom began removing the oldest spent fuel and is now storing it in steel cannisters, 5 metres long and a few metres wide, on site. However, government has decided to store the high-level nuclear waste from Koeberg – and potentially from any other nuclear plants that may be built in South Africa – at a central interim storage facility to be constructed at Vaalputs. It remains interim because, sometime between 50 and 200 years from now, it will be moved to a final disposal site several hundred meters underground. 'It is essentially a mine,' says Nicholls. All of this is strictly regulated by the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the measures followed to safely store nuclear waste are the same all over the world, says Nicholls. Currently, the licence issued by the South African National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) permits only the disposal of low- and intermediate waste at Vaalputs. Until recently, Necsa was the licensee, but earlier this month, the management of the nuclear waste was transferred to a specially created entity, the National Radioactive Waste Disposal Institute (NRWDI). The NRWDI will only be allowed to store high-level waste at Vaalputs once it has satisfied the NNR that it complies with all the requirements to do it safely. This is why it has now embarked on the environmental impact study that Burden has been notified of. Nicholls explains that the interim disposal will involve the construction of a huge concrete slab, upon which the steel cannisters will be stacked at ground level. Burden recognises it is unlikely that the farmers' concerns will result in the government changing its intention to store the spent nuclear fuel at Vaalputs. All they are asking for is transparency, good governance, and monitoring. 'The ecosystem in Namaqualand is very sensitive, with unique biodiversity,' he says. He estimates that there are more than 200 farms in a 50km radius around Vaalputs. These produce livestock – cattle, sheep and goats. About 20% are slaughtered locally, and the rest at abattoirs further away in the Western Cape, and from there distributed by retailers across the country. 'The likelihood of radiation may be low, but the impact can be huge,' says Burden. Farmers are concerned that even the slightest suspicion of something going wrong at Vaalputs could damage the image of the products they send to the market. This article was republished from Moneyweb. Read the original here.
