How government’s failures affect you
An unreliable power supply disrupts the lives of ordinary South African s and makes planning
personal and business activities extremely difficult. A lack of reliable electricity supply prevents
people from carrying out routine activities such as cooking dinner or doing homework. It also
leads to an increase in crime, as criminals exploit dark streets to attack innocent people.
A lack of reliable electricity supply has resulted in uncertainty for the business environment ,
discouraging increased investment and job creation. In 2022 alone, load-shedding is estimated to
have cost the economy R560 billion , resulting in the loss of 650,000 jobs . In addition, unreliable
electricity supply has increased the costs of doing business, contributing to the cost-of-living crisis .
The load-shedding crisis created by the ANC has also deepened energy inequality , as poor
households that are unable to afford renewable private solutions are left behind while industries
and wealthier households transition away from Eskom. The resulting loss of revenue sends Eskom
ever-deeper into its death spiral, negatively affecting the poorest households.
Like electricity, water is the next big crisis our country faces. Despite the fact that no human
being can live without clean water, the latest Blue Drop report indicates that the majority of our
country’s water systems “fail to produce compliant final water quality.” Over 40% of all the water
in South Africa falls into the very worst category for microbiological compliance.
How the DA will rescue South Africans from load-shedding
A DA government will improve the reliability of power supply by unbundling and restructuring
Eskom to establish an open electricity market . We will do this by:
• Moving Eskom away from power generation as far as possible while considering and assisting
employees and communities who depend on Eskom.
• Establishing the remaining part of Eskom responsible for transmission into a separate grid
and market operator. The entity will handle functions such as power planning, procurement,
contracting, grid system and electricity market operation functions.
• Prioritising investment in grid infrastructure. We aim for a flexible grid, which can handle
generation from different sources. This investment in the grid must be done concurrently with
programmes to establish new power sources. Investment in infrastructure is crucial to support
the National Electrification Programme, which aims to connect more households to the grid.
• Regularly updating the Integrated Resource Plan to ensure that planning for the electricity
sector stays up to date with current energy realities and projected energy demands.
• Ensuring a diversified and competitive energy sector , including newly established public and
private generators, IPPs and municipal generators.
• Ensuring municipalities in good financial standing are incentivised through an enabling
regulatory environment to generate and buy their own electricity.
The DA’s key proposal to create additional electricity supply and end load-shedding is the
establishment of ‘prosumers’ (producers and consumers):
OUR BOLD SOLUTION:
The promotion of ‘prosumers’
The DA will actively promote the emergence of ‘prosumers’, which means that people who use
electricity, but also generate more than they need, can share their extra power with the grid. This will
be incentivised through a standard payment wherever the DA governs.
The DA will also provide a once-off solar tax rebate for installing solar systems and feed-in meters to
assist in establishing greater numbers of ‘prosumers’ across the country.
The DA recognises that the encouragement of private renewable energy being fed back into the grid
will decrease the strain on the current grid and boost the overall electricity supply. The promotion of
prosumers will keep households on the grid and make the supply of electricity to poorer households
more affordable.
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