- President Cyril Ramaphosa said the government was working hard to end the load shedding crisis.
- Ramaphosa was delivering his New Year’s message to South Africans just as Eskom announced a breakdown of five generating units overnight.
- Ramaphosa dubbed 2022 a difficult year where South Africans have been forced to deal with the rising cost of living and an energy crisis.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said the government was working hard to end the load shedding crisis plaguing the country.
Ramaphosa was delivering his New Year’s message to South Africans at the same time Eskom announced a breakdown of five generating units overnight, forcing the power utility to implement stage two load shedding until further notice.
“We are undertaking reforms in the operation of our ports and railways and in our telecommunications, water and electricity sectors. We are working hard to end the crisis of load shedding. We are increasing the amount of renewable energy on the grid.
“The benefits of this work may not be immediately felt, but we should expect that these efforts will steadily reduce the need for load shedding until it is no longer necessary,” the president said.
Ramaphosa said that just as the new year is a time for a fresh start in people’s lives, so too must it be for the life of the nation.
ESKOM LIVE | Stage two load shedding to continue on Saturday after breakdowns
“South Africans want to see our country’s electricity challenges resolved. They want to see tougher action against corruption. They want to lead lives of dignity and have jobs. They want to live in safety, freedom and peace. We must build on the important work that has been done this past year to determine our actions in the next,” he said.
Ramaphosa dubbed 2022 a difficult year where South Africans have been forced to deal with the rising cost of living and an energy crisis.
“We have also been burdened by the loss of loved ones to a number of tragedies,” he said.
There have been devastating, tragic events that have destroyed both lives and livelihoods. These events have included floods, fatal vehicle crashes, deaths in taverns, dam wall collapses, drownings, fires in informal settlements and most recently, the terrible explosion of a fuel tanker in Boksburg in Gauteng that killed at least 34 people.
Ramaphosa also acknowledged the families of young men who had lost their lives during the summer initiation season. “Turning what was meant to be a time of joy and celebration into a time of sorrow.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with all the bereaved families,” he said.
On corruption, Ramaphosa said there had been milestones in the fight against corruption.
“The State Capture Commission handed over its final report, and the government has set out a plan for the implementation of its recommendations.
“There have been several arrests, prosecutions and convictions for corruption and cases related to state capture, and significant amounts of stolen funds have been recovered by state-owned companies like Eskom and Transnet,” he said.
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