Light at the end of the tunnel for Eskom

The sooner the electricity supply is sorted out and the candles can be put away, the better. Blackouts have caused huge losses in production and increased costs for every sector. (Image: Public Domain)

The Deputy President also said the process of appointing an Advisory Council on energy was at an advanced stage and that Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown would soon announce the appointment of the panel.

"We can say there will be light at the end of the tunnel.

"As we all know Eskom faces challenges and these challenges are being addressed," he said on Wednesday.

The Deputy President said this; days after the Eskom Board announced the suspension of its CEO Tshediso Matona and other top executives as the power utility struggles to cope with electricity supply.

He was responding to a question by IFP MP Narend Singh on whether the current electricity demand in the country would be sustained and met through continuing load shedding.

The Deputy President said despite that, leadership problems were being addressed.

President Jacob Zuma has delegated the Deputy President to head a panel, or the war room, that has been appointed to deal with energy challenges and tasked with producing short, medium to long term plans.

"[The challenges] are being addressed not withstanding that the four executives have been put on a leave of absence for three months.

"It is a leave of absence just for three months as the enquiry takes off and it happens and that it will be done within three months and that thereafter, a much clearer executive future will be determined.

"I believe at the leadership level, the problem will be addressed. At the generation level, we are doing as much as we can in the war room and we are taking a number of measures and the good thing is that the business community, including labour, has asked to meet us as part of the war room process to put forward a number of proposals that they have and they have said they have got practical proposals that can help to a large extent address this problem," he said.

Meanwhile, the Deputy President said an advisory panel on energy would soon be appointed.

MP Singh had also asked when the advisory panel on energy would be appointed.

Deputy President Ramaphosa said: "I am informed that the process of appointment is being finalised and that the Minister of Energy will soon announce the appointments, so that is work in progress," he said.

The Deputy President also said Eskom is currently implementing load shedding and the power utility was doing so as a last resort when peak demand exceeds the supply of electricity.

"Eskom's supply is currently constrained as many of us know due to a number of breakdowns and partial load losses due to its maintenance backlog.

"It is now committed to carrying out more than the required planned preventative maintenance to ensure that the condition of the generating plants keep on improving," he said.

The Deputy President also announced that he would, on Friday, meet with business and labour representatives as part of the war room after they asked to meet with him to table several proposals in relation to energy challenges in the house.