The electricity crunch has been years in the making, a product of delays in building new coal-fired power stations, corruption in coal supply contracts and criminal sabotage
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday declared a national “state of disaster” over his country’s crippling power shortages, saying they posed an existential threat to the economy and social fabric.
State electricity utility Eskom is implementing the worst rolling blackouts on record, leaving households in the dark, disrupting manufacturing and hurting businesses of all sizes. The legislation was used to enable health authorities to respond more swiftly to the COVID-19 pandemic, but some analysts doubt it will help the government expand power supply much quicker.
Ramaphosa said on Thursday he would appoint a minister of electricity within the presidency to focus solely on the crisis.
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