The Great Load Shedding Heist: How Eskom Pulled Off the Impossible
It’s been a whopping three months since South Africans last had to endure the agony of load shedding. Yes, you read that right – three whole months without the joy of having your lights flicker off every five minutes. It’s a miracle, really.
But don’t get too comfortable, folks. This reprieve from the darkness is not a sign of Eskom’s newfound efficiency or a sudden interest in customer satisfaction. No, it’s all about the politics. You see, the utility company has been busy burning through diesel to keep the lights on, and we’re not just talking about a few extra bucks here and there. We’re talking about a whopping R2.7 billion spent on open-cycle gas turbines (OCGTs) in just three months. That’s like buying a small island and burning it to the ground just to keep the lights on.
And don’t even get me started on the "progress" Eskom has made. Chairman Mteto Nyati claims it’s all thanks to their new maintenance strategy, but we all know the truth. It’s just a bunch of empty promises and a desperate attempt to keep the lights on until the next election.
But hey, at least we can all breathe a sigh of relief, right? I mean, who needs reliable electricity when you can have a bunch of diesel-burning turbines keeping the lights on? It’s like a game of roulette, where the only prize is a slightly less frequent blackout.
So, the next time someone tells you that Eskom is doing a great job, just remember: it’s all just a big show. A show of smoke and mirrors, where the only thing that’s really being "maintained" is the company’s reputation.
