Dicks explained that while Eskom has a motivated team of engineers at many power stations, experience is crucial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even if you\u2019re a trained engineer, it\u2019s the years of hands-on experience and mentorship that truly matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Having someone with 15 to 20 years of experience at a power station can make a big difference in solving problems effectively, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eskom\u2019s skills gap was also highlighted by Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa<\/a> earlier this year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He said that one of Eskom\u2019s largest power stations, Kendal, was significantly underperforming, largely due to a haemorrhaging of skills at the power utility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kendal was identified as one of six grossly underperforming priority stations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He told Newzroom Afrika that the power station is performing at 36%, significantly lower than the 55% target for the current financial year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt is nowhere close to where we want to be. By their own admission, I think we can do better,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He added that he has met with the power station\u2019s employees to better understand its challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThese are issues that are undermining Kendal\u2019s ability to go back to its glory days. It was one of the best-performing power stations. The level of deterioration is catastrophic,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ramokgopa said the station\u2019s employees and management identified a lack of skills as one of its biggest challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere\u2019s been a significant haemorrhaging of skills. I think some of the most skilled and seasoned people have left the power station,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ramokgopa had also previously told eNCA<\/a> that there is a stigma that everyone who works at Eskom is corrupt or incompetent, making it less prestigious to be associated with the company and affecting how people perceive employees in public. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As a result, Eskom has lost many skilled engineers and technicians over the last few years \u2013 the very people needed to help fix issues like load-shedding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Similar findings<\/a> were made by German consultancy group VGBE Energy, which the National Treasury commissioned to analyse the performance of Eskom\u2019s coal-fired power plants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They gave several reasons for Eskom\u2019s decline, including the utility\u2019s complex management system, low staff morale, general incompetence and lack of ability to implement theoretical knowledge in practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe competencies of the technical managers seem to be at a reasonable level, but there is greater potential for improvement,\u201d the report read. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It explained that, in general, leadership competencies are not at the level they should be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn the past, suitable leadership development programmes existed, and these need to be re-established,\u201d the report explained. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe repeatedly noticed that there is a high degree of theoretical knowledge. However, the complex management system makes its application very difficult.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe management system with its governance, structure and processes is dysfunctional and too complex.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n To address these issues, Dicks explained that Eskom needs to focus on both training new engineers and bringing in experienced professionals from outside to help manage critical power stations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He pointed out that a strong partnership between Eskom and the private sector, initiated by the President through the Business for South Africa collaboration, is already underway. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This partnership involves redeploying experienced engineers who have either left Eskom or have a deep understanding of power station operations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These experts are being sent back to six key power stations to help improve their reliability and increase the output of dependable megawatts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Rudi-Dicks.jpg\")