Gordhan demands Eskom ‘urgently’ get country out of stage 6
Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan says he has directed Eskom’s management and board urgently get the country out of stage 6 load shedding.
Gordhan released a statement on Thursday amid stage 6 power cuts, which is expected to last until Friday.
The embattled power utility has blamed breakdowns at several of its power stations for the move to stage 6, as well as the need to conserve diesel supplies.
Gordhan said he asked the team at Eskom to immediately get the country out of stage 6.
“I met the board of Eskom yesterday (Wednesday). I have directed them to meet and act with a great sense of urgency in order to ensure that the management of Eskom gets the country out of level 6 load shedding with immediate effect.
“Power cuts are having a devastating effect on households and livelihoods, investment and economic climate. This is totally unacceptable. The frequency of breakdowns is certainly attributable to some element of malfunctioning within the Eskom systems and possibly sabotage as well," said Gordhan.
He said law enforcement agencies will increase their presence at the various Eskom power stations.
"Those who are involved in nefarious activities, beware. We will not tolerate any activities whose purpose is not in the national interest.”
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