Desmund Bernardo, a South African project manager at Koeberg Nuclear Power Station who held a reactor operator’s licence, possesses deep insight into the nuts and bolts of the country’s electricity issues.
I recommend his YouTube channel, Beyond Politics.
Quick background
For clarity, South Africa has been plagued by ‘load-shedding’ (rolling blackouts) since 2007, with the COVID years being the most severe. In 2023, for example, we experienced between four to eight hours of no electricity daily.
For years, South Africa’s ruling party—the ANC (African National Congress)—has been blamed for everything, which is short-sighted, as there are other factors:
- the official opposition party, the DA (Democratic Alliance)
- former Eskom CEO André de Ruyter
- the UN’s Sustainable Development agenda
The truth is that loadshedding is deliberate. The aim is to implant the idea that South Africa desperately needs renewables which will be provided by foreign power producers.
— Sizwe SikaMusi. (@SizweLo) September 18, 2022
Moreover, there’s an attempt at stakeholder capitalism to place South Africa’s primary electricity supplier, Eskom, into foreign hands, as confirmed by a captured Eskom.
This is a condition of the IMF and World Bank loans the government of Cyril Ramaphosa has been taking. Breaking down an institution like Eskom. Once fully operational, the Transmission Division will be mandated to procure electricity from European owned Independent Power… https://t.co/72vc0u0tyt
— Agent Nala (@MainlandAfrica) November 28, 2023
