False Dawn

South Africa: Too soon to call turnaround on Eskom load shedding

By David Whitehouse

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Posted on July 13, 2023 04:00

South Africa’s Eskom power cuts © Workers load liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders, as locals resort to using it as backup energy during frequent power outages in Soweto, South Africa July 1, 2022. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko — Workers load liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders, as locals resort to using it as backup energy during frequent power outages in Soweto, South Africa July 1, 2022. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

Recent improvements in the performance of South African state energy utility Eskom rest on thin foundations and there is no evidence that a lasting solution to load shedding has been found, experts say.

Power cuts in South Africa in recent weeks have, for many in the population, dropped from 12 to as little as two hours a day. But the country is “not out of the woods by any stretch of the imagination”, says Hartmut Winkler, physics professor at the University of Johannesburg.

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