South African president vows to end widespread power cuts

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa’s frequent power cuts and ailing economy have overshadowed the ruling African National Congress party’s 108th anniversary festivities.

Far from being a celebratory speech to the party faithful, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address Saturday focused on the serious problem of nation-wide power cuts.

Ramaphosa said his government is working hard to restore the state power company, Eskom, to a stable provider of electricity to industry and residences.

“We will accelerate the process of transforming Eskom into an effective and reliable electricity supplier,”said Rampaphosa.

Eskom generates more than 90% of South Africa’s electricity but in the past year it has had not been able to provide adequate power and has resorted to widespread power cuts across the nation.

“We understand very clearly the concerns that South Africans have about load-shedding (power cuts) that we continue to have almost on a daily basis,′ said Ramaphosa.

In December Ramaphosa promised South Africans that there would be adequate power during the holiday season, but the period was marked by several cuts. Eskom’s chairman resigned Friday because of the persistent power shortages.

More power cuts are expected in the coming weeks as factories and businesses return to full operations and increase the demand for electricity.

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