Mabuza blames Eskom’s aging power plant fleet for cargo spillage

CAPE TOWN – Vice President David Mabuza has tried to assure South Africans that the problems facing Eskom will soon be a thing of the past.

Eskom announced that cargo shedding phase three would be implemented on Friday, as Mabuza was answering questions at the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Thursday.

Mabuza also faced questions about COVID-19 corruption during a question and answer session.

It was the vice president’s first appearance in Parliament since he was absent from work for about a month due to health problems.

Mabuza said it would take another two years to complete the separation of Eskom into three separate entities for generation, transmission and distribution. He blamed Eskom’s aging power plant fleet for the shedding of charges.

“We are sure that with the introduction of Medupi and Kusile on the grid, I think Medupi will probably be operational by the end of the year if all goes well, the pressure on electricity generation will gradually be reduced.

“The new introduction of PPI [Independent Power Producers] it will further reduce the pressure we are currently facing and the disruptions to cargo disposal, ”Mabuza said.

He raised his eyebrows when he said the government was unaware that funds set aside to fight the COVID-19 pandemic would be “stolen along the way.”

Mabuza defended the spending, saying that it was necessary to combat the pandemic and prepare health services to deal with it.

He also condemned the attacks on farms and urged law enforcement agencies to do more to protect farm owners and workers in order to ensure food safety.

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