Annisa Essack | kzn@radioislam.org.za
22 May 2023 | 13:00 CAT
3 min read

Photo Credit: ESKOM

ESKOM load shedding is a topic of interest for every South African. After enjoying a few hours of Stage 1 load shedding yesterday, it was back to normal when Stage 4 kicked in and higher stages are expected during the week as winter temperatures drop. Last week, interim Eskom group executive officer Calib Cassim stated that the risk of Stage 8 load shedding this winter is extremely high if the group cannot contain unplanned losses.

Speaking to Radio Islam International, Cassim says he copes by turning to God Almighty as he prepares for each day in what can be termed the most highly pressured job in South Africa.

Responding to what the worst- and best-case scenario for winter would be, Cassim explained that Stage 8 would be the worst case but hoped that this winter, if ESKOM could keep to Stages 5 and 6, it would be the best scenario.

The rumour mill has churned out stories about Stage 8 load shedding affecting areas with no electricity for 24–26 hours consecutively during the winter peak. However, Cassim put paid to the stories saying that every 32-hour cycle, a 16-hour interruption could be expected. In a maximum 24-hour cycle, it could be a 12-hour interruption.

Cassim was quoted saying that he was not losing sleep over a total blackout which he justified by saying that he had faith in the protection systems and competent staff operating the system.

Responding to Fikile Mbalula and the President saying that load shedding would end this year, Cassim said it was essential to protect the grid. He added that it would be a challenge until the beginning of 2024, when the Kusile, Koeberg, and Medupi units were back online. Kusile, he says, is on track, and it was now necessary to focus on the other existing stations to perform better.

Cassim, commenting on Andre De Ruyter’s book, says that during his time at ESKOM, he understands that there are “some bad apples” and must be dealt with internally and with the authorities. Regarding malfeasance, he said that it was limited to a few key stations, and they were working with law enforcement to fix the situation.

He added that no deterrents could be implemented until convictions, especially of the more senior people involved.

Notably, he said that the corruption is not as widespread as De Ruyter’s book portrays, but rather from the investigations and audits are done by ESKOM, it was not across the board.

On the morale of the staff at ESKOM, he explained that it was difficult for staff to face the negative press and expectations from the citizens. He further explained that Management and the Board need to be given time to implement the action plan instead of repeating themselves on issues.

Policy conflict between the government and ESKOM management, Cassim says, is essential to get clarity on specific areas and direction in the future. However, ESKOM is caught up in conflicting policy decisions, navigating between conflicting objectives.

For the ESKOM Board, he says that there is a corporate plan to execute and implement.  

Responding to whether South Africans can be hopeful for the future regarding load shedding, Cassim says there is hope; although the next three months will be most challenging, we should see some gains from January 2024.

Listen to the full interview with Calib Cassim and Sulaimaan Ravat on Sabahul Muslim here