Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen has warned President Cyril Ramaphosa that the indefinite stage six power cuts posed the “gravest threat” to the country’s economy and social stability.
In a letter to Ramaphosa, Steenhuisen said that rolling blackouts over the last year were estimated to have cost the economy R570 billion in lost productivity.
Steenhuisen has also requested a meeting with Ramaphosa to discuss Eskom and the power crisis.
In his letter to the president, Steenhuisen said that the almost exponential increase in load-shedding hours per year over the past five years had resulted in South Africans experiencing a full 157 days without power in 2022.
The DA leader said that the power crisis was now the single biggest threat to SA’s well-being and was doing profound economic and social harm.
He said that the government had been “lethargic and conservative” in its response to what he called a “catastrophe”.
“For as long as the ANC is in power, you will have less and less power. Eskom is in a death spiral and the government has no will or intention to do anything about it, because the ANC’s vast patronage network benefits hugely from the status quo.”
Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said on Thursday that he was not aware of the letter from Steenhuisen and his request for a meeting.
But he said that the president was available and met regularly with members of the opposition.
-EWN
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She played the role of a pastor’s pregnant fiance in Uzalo. Viewers now believe that she’s pregnant in real life and speculate it’s the reason Uzalo fired her. But actress Nompilo Maphumulo said she’s not expecting. She said her time is up on Uzalo and that’s why she’s being released.
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