Johannesburg - South Africa’s long periods in the dark will play a major role at the ANC's 55th national conference in Nasrec, where President Cyril Ramaphosa is hoping to be re-elected as ANC president.
During Ramaphosa's presidency, the country experienced prolonged periods of load shedding. Some communities complained about power cuts that lasted 12 hours while businesses failed to operate effectively.
At a gala dinner preceding the conference on Thursday, Ramaphosa admitted that the last five years had been a turbulent time for the country and the ANC.
He was faced with the Covid challenge, which killed a lot of people but also saw mass government corruption. There were also the events of the July unrest, which led to more than 300 deaths. Ramaphosa was also, at some point, blamed for fuelling the violence in the country by describing it as ethnic.
Meanwhile, political parties accused Ramaphosa of trying to privatise Eskom along with other state-owned enterprises. There were plans to break down Eskom into three companies.
The resignation of André de Ruyter, Eskom CEO, came as a surprise to many but was widely welcomed by those who felt that de Ruyter only stayed longer in his position because he was closely associated with the president.
De Ruyter told the media that he was sad to leave Eskom, but he said he could have done better if he had the support of a wide range of people, including those who were politically invested.
"I am obviously disappointed that I could not set the objectives that I had set for myself. The circumstances surrounding Eskom are well-known, the challenges, the challenges surrounding society crime and corruption, and some of the issues that we have experienced in the delivery of the unbundling of Eskom," de Ruyter said.
The Star