National shutdown threat in protest against Eskom’s rolling blackouts and tariff hikes — Ramaphosa cancels Davos trip

The recent approval by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa), the energy regulator, to increase the Eskom tariff to 18.65% for 2023 and a 12.74% hike for 2024 has prompted the threat of a national shutdown.

President Cyril Ramaphosa, scheduled to attend the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos this week, has cancelled his trip to attend to the power crisis, his spokesperson Vincent Magwenya tweeted on Sunday evening.

“Due to the ongoing energy crisis, President Cyril Ramaphosa has cancelled his working visit to the World Economic Forum in Davos. Currently, the President is convening a meeting with leaders of political parties represented in parliament, [National Energy Crisis Committee] and the Eskom board,” said Magwenya.

“President Cyril Ramaphosa has already engaged with the leadership of Eskom and National Energy Crisis Committee and those meetings will continue. More briefing sessions to key stakeholders will take place during this coming week.”

Earlier, Magwenya said Ramaphosa acknowledged the frustration of indefinite Stage 6 rolling blackouts and was worried about Eskom’s latest 18.65% tariff hike, but said he did not have the authority to intervene.

The nationwide shutdown has been endorsed by members of the public, civil society organisations and political parties across various social media platforms, with many planning to either march to the Union Buildings or Eskom’s Megawatt Park offices in Johannesburg.

MASIYE! Food is extremely expensive, no jobs, loadshedding at it peak, crime, EVERYTHING is falling apart! We need to save us. #NationalShutdown

— Yaya Mavundla (@YayaRSA) January 13, 2023

However, a date and venue for the shutdown have not been announced.

A movement under the banner People’s Movement for Change (PMC) says it will join other civil society organisations to protest against power cuts to put pressure on Eskom and the government.

The African Transformation Movement (ATM) is also one of the political parties that have endorsed the shutdown and have called on the government to stop mismanaging Eskom and end rolling blackouts.

“In August 2022, Ramaphosa established the National Energy Crisis Committee to look into load shedding, after many promises by his administration since 2018. Nothing has been delivered. The time is up! Let’s take a stand! #NationalShutdown,” says ATM.

Because of #Loadshedding, many businesses are facing closure. The ones holding on are struggling to pay salaries due to unrealised profits.

For our economy. For our country. Take a stand! #NationalShutdown pic.twitter.com/k7BH8SxuLX

— African Transformation Movement (@ATMovement_SA) January 13, 2023

The tariff hike comes amid Stage 6 rolling blackouts where those living in South Africa are subject to no power for half of each day — 12 hours daily.

In response to the Eskom tariff hikes and ongoing rolling blackouts, the official opposition party Democratic Alliance (DA) has launched a petition advocating cheaper and more reliable electricity which 70,790 supporters have already signed.

In a tweet dated 13 January 2023 DA leader John Steenhuisen has called on all South Africans to join the party in its rolling mass action against the recent electricity tariff increases.

“It’s time to hit the streets SA! We can’t sit back and take hyperinflationary increases! Far too many citizens are barely able to keep their heads above water. This 18% Nersa increase is like a government jackboot pushing more of us under the surface,” the tweet reads.

In the course of the weekend, Steenhuisen announced that the DA is organising a major protest march to the ANC headquarters at Luthuli House in Johannesburg on 25 January. 

“Stage 6 load shedding has taken away your power. It is time to take away the ANCs,” said Steenhuisen. 

Meanwhile, the Economic Freedom Fighters’ (EFF) Julius Malema said the ANC needed to be removed from power and it was time to act.

 “The picket lines are calling our names. We can’t allow them to turn us into a nation of cowards; everything has collapsed under Ramaphosa, and we look like a helpless nation,” he said.

We are our own liberators; we must remove the ANC from power, but even before that, Ramaphosa must fall with immediate effect and failure to do that, we must push him out of office.

— Julius Sello Malema (@Julius_S_Malema) January 13, 2023

 Political party Action SA president Herman Mashaba agrees with the EFF that the ANC must be removed from power to end rolling blackouts.

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“The only way to end this crisis is to end the ANC’s stranglehold over South Africa. The ANC government has no plan to end our energy crisis,” said Mashaba.

Civil society outraged by Eskom tariff hikes and rolling blackouts

Liz McDaid, OUTA’s Parliamentary and Energy Adviser, said there was no escape from electricity tariff increases and rolling blackouts.

“As customers we are expected to shore up our failed electricity utility. For Eskom, there is huge pressure to improve its energy availability factor (EAF) to above 65% to meet the regulator’s conditions, whilst not being given the full extent of its 32% increase application. OUTA is outraged at the government’s failure to help South Africans to weather this storm.”  

McDaid said the electricity crisis needs to be addressed urgently and effectively.

“We also need a forward-looking energy minister who sees the value of renewable energy and fast tracks its implementation to get affordable energy onto the grid,” she said.

Greenpeace Africa Climate and Energy Campaigner, Nhlanhla Sibisi said: “This tariff increase, which is almost three times the inflation rate of 7.4%, will seriously and negatively impact South Africans. What’s more unthinkable is that South Africans are expected to incur a greater cost while receiving less electricity, considering we are in the longest extended period of load shedding in the history of the electricity crisis.”

Sibisi said a just transition to renewable energy is the best and most immediate solution to South Africa’s energy crisis and can help solve the youth unemployment crisis, without forcing South Africans to pay for Eskom’s history of corruption and mismanagement.

SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi claimed that “with increases in the past 15 years, the electricity tariff is more than 800% higher than 2007”.

He said the tariff hike would “devastate the budgets of poor and working people, especially women”.

“Paying for food and electricity now costs way more than the national minimum wage, earned by about half of the workforce in the country,” said Vavi. DM