Power cuts force South Africans to build private solar

Bradley Prior

Bradley Prior

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Power cuts force South Africans to build private solar
South Africans have been battered by power shortages for several years. These have worsened to the point that towards the end of 2022 the country’s electricity utility, Eskom, had only half of its power generation capacity operational. [The Conversation]
 
Makes me think of mouse traps.....If it cannot catch a mouse with peanut butter, put it in his travelling path, will set it off eventually.
 
"In the 1990s under the new democratic government, Eskom made concerted efforts to expand its supply and services to some of the most remote rural areas."

rubbish. In the 1990s under the new government they were finding ways to steal as much money as they could at setup their cadres.
 
In the 1990s Eskom did dramatically expand the number of people connected to the grid. It probably started before 1994 though.
 
noxibox said:
In the 1990s Eskom did dramatically expand the number of people connected to the grid. It probably started before 1994 though.
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It did, considering it went up to 50% in 1994. It's only gone up to 85% now
 
"The apartheid government deliberately slowed electrification of black residential areas and especially of the country’s rural areas.
Where there was electricity supply far from the urban centres, it was largely arranged for the benefit of mining operations and white farming communities.
In the 1990s under the new democratic government, Eskom made concerted efforts to expand its supply and services to some of the most remote rural areas." What bullshit is this!? The apartheid government never slowed electrification to black residential areas, they simply did what the anc never had the balls or intelligence to do, cut off non payers. The ANC had a policy of non payment during apartheid, and that very policy survives until today among their supporters, and even some non-supporters. The problem is that the anc would NEVER cut off the electricity to a non payer, but would rather have their electricity usage subsidised by areas of a town or metro that does pay. Funny to note that an area that is predominantly black, like Soweto, has some of the lowest payment rates whereas areas that are mixed areas, are the areas with higher compliance. This is a fact in 2023, and it was a fact during apartheid, only difference is that now the anc cannot go back on what it taught its minions to do, so now they have the upper and middle classes subsidise the townships. Cut off areas with compliance of less than 30% and our grid will instantly be saved and loafshedding will end.
 
emperornemesis said:
"The apartheid government deliberately slowed electrification of black residential areas and especially of the country’s rural areas.
Where there was electricity supply far from the urban centres, it was largely arranged for the benefit of mining operations and white farming communities.
In the 1990s under the new democratic government, Eskom made concerted efforts to expand its supply and services to some of the most remote rural areas." What bullshit is this!? The apartheid government never slowed electrification to black residential areas, they simply did what the anc never had the balls or intelligence to do, cut off non payers. The ANC had a policy of non payment during apartheid, and that very policy survives until today among their supporters, and even some non-supporters. The problem is that the anc would NEVER cut off the electricity to a non payer, but would rather have their electricity usage subsidised by areas of a town or metro that does pay. Funny to note that an area that is predominantly black, like Soweto, has some of the lowest payment rates whereas areas that are mixed areas, are the areas with higher compliance. This is a fact in 2023, and it was a fact during apartheid, only difference is that now the anc cannot go back on what it taught its minions to do, so now they have the upper and middle classes subsidise the townships. Cut off areas with compliance of less than 30% and our grid will instantly be saved and loafshedding will end.
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businesstech.co.za

Why Soweto residents want free electricity

Some of Soweto’s residents feel entitled to free electricity.
businesstech.co.za businesstech.co.za

"
Some of Soweto’s residents feel entitled to free electricity as it was one of the things promised to them when the country gained democracy in 1994, a local told News24.

The man, who refused to be named, said the late former president Nelson Mandela’s promise of a better South Africa with free education, free electricity, free water and sanitation had not been realised. "
 
Stuff loadshedding, the real problem is the inability and lack of will to fix failures. Parts of Ndwedwe in KZN (where my domestic lives to be precise) have not had electricity since late November last year. The projected repair date is the end of Feb if they are lucky. That would be over 100 days for her with stuff all electricity, so 12 hours a day isn't as bad as its made out to be.

Don't get me wrong, not having power for 12 hours a day would suck the big one and be a devastating blow to an already crippled economy, I am just saying that when taken in perspective with people who lost power for nearly four months, its not that bad.
 
Bradley Prior said:
Power cuts force South Africans to build private solar
South Africans have been battered by power shortages for several years. These have worsened to the point that towards the end of 2022 the country’s electricity utility, Eskom, had only half of its power generation capacity operational. [The Conversation]
Click to expand...

Up to. 12 hours in the winter? We've been having up to 12 now, winter we're probably going to hit 16-18 hours a day without power
 
Gumdrop said:
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Seeing power is a basic man made resource and at the bottom of the chain, whatever you do, whatever you dreamed up, whatever you promise, it must be cheap, if not, it will destroy any monetary system exponentially again over time, and 30 years from now, you completed the circle again with the same question marks on your forehead. At 3 billion on the planet most of our problems would not be there, however theres 8 Billion...

So whatever you do, you do not want lack of foresight and a repeat of the last 30 years, and this apply to the whole World for that matter. I know few only see the escape route now, but if you ultra rich and most around you are poor, you have a problem of magnitude no matter how you look at it. You in a jail full of money so to speak.
 
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