Countrywide blackouts of up to 12 hours a day rolling across South Africa could deal a fatal blow to its fragile economy, experts say.
Blackouts, or “load shedding”, have occurred intermittently since 2007, but have become worse in recent years as ageing coal plants pushed to their limits suffer frequent breakdowns. Coal accounts for around 90 per cent of the country’s electricity supply.
The situation is made worse by an illegal strike that has prevented emergency repairs from being carried out, Andre de Ruyter, chief executive of Eskom, the national electricity provider, said at a media briefing on July 1.
“If the workers do not heed the call to return to work, then the country will be further exposed,” Mr de Ruyter said.
Unions wanted up to a 15 per cent pay increase, more than double the current inflation rate of 6 per cent.
Eskom’s data published at the end of June showed that more than half its fleet was out of service, and around 40 per cent of power plants were broken down, with another 8 per cent under maintenance.
Economists have described the blackouts as a crisis, one that threatens to undo an economic rebound based on robust commodity demand.
Load shedding at this pace could cost the economy 4.1 billion rand ($250 million) a day, says Isaah Mhlanga, chief economist at financial advisory firm Alexander Forbes.
“The signal to investors is that we are doing reforms, there have been some positive developments. But on the other hand, they are looking at South Africa and asking: ‘is this where we want to put our money, given there is no energy security?’ ”
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa aims for his administration to attract 1.2 trillion in investments, and has made attracting capital the government’s core task.
In March, Mr Ramaphosa told an investment conference in Johannesburg that 95 per cent of this target had been achieved.
However, the extent of the current power cuts could undo much of Mr Ramaphosa’s work, says Mr Mhlanga.
“I think if you are a serious businessman, you will look elsewhere to put your money — where you can have consistent energy supply,” he says.
Meanwhile, businesses are scrambling to find alternatives. Last year, the government finally cracked the door on Eskom’s monopoly, allowing private investors into electricity generation of up to 100 megawatts, enough to power a small town.
Solar panels on rooftops and wind turbines in farmers' fields are becoming common sights around the country. Still, for many corporate energy users, the national grid remains a vital resource.
MTN, Africa’s largest mobile phone network operator, said it is struggling to keep its towers working for extended periods of time. It uses batteries and diesel generators, but these are not intended to run for hours at a time, says Jackie O’Sullivan, MTN’s Corporate Affairs executive.
“The problem is the batteries do get stolen … a huge issue for us. Even when in place, batteries have a capacity of six to 12 hours, but then need 12 hours to recharge. Under current conditions they don’t have the time to fully recharge,” she says.
Similarly, diesel generators need to be refuelled, posing a challenge, especially for remote stations.
“We are using 400,000 litres of fuel a month at this rate, which is obviously costing us a lot and is also not the most environmentally friendly solution,” Ms O’Sullivan says.
As a stopgap, MTN plans to crowd source generators from small suppliers and businesses. “If a business has a few generators, they can take over a couple of sites and help keep customers connected with their friends, families and businesses,” she says.
However, the situation is unlikely to improve anytime soon. Eskom has a debt of about $25bn, and Mr de Ruyter is battling demands for his resignation. Criminal syndicates within Eskom continue to syphon off money across the organisation, he said recently.
Last year, Eskom burnt 1 billion litres of diesel in emergency generation and is likely to top this figure in 2022.
Meanwhile, the larger cities such as Johannesburg, Cape Town and Pretoria, are all planning to adopt renewables and other forms of electricity generation, further reducing Eskom’s income.
Mpho Phalatse, the Mayor of Johannesburg, the country’s largest urban industrial area, said earlier this month that the city would soon begin contracting its own providers.
“The idea is to introduce independent power producers into our mix. It’s through partnerships with the private sector that we’ll put load shedding behind us,” Ms Phalatse said.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The%20specs
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Scores in brief:
Day 1
New Zealand (1st innings) 153 all out (66.3 overs) - Williamson 63, Nicholls 28, Yasir 3-54, Haris 2-11, Abbas 2-13, Hasan 2-38
Pakistan (1st innings) 59-2 (23 overs)
J%20Street%20Polling%20Results
%3Cp%3E97%25%20of%20Jewish-Americans%20are%20concerned%20about%20the%20rise%20in%20anti-Semitism%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E76%25%20of%20US%20Jewish%20voters%20believe%20Donald%20Trump%20and%20his%20allies%20in%20the%20Republican%20Party%20are%20responsible%20for%20a%20rise%20in%20anti-Semitism%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E74%25%20of%20American%20Jews%20agreed%20that%20%E2%80%9CTrump%20and%20the%20Maga%20movement%20are%20a%20threat%20to%20Jews%20in%20America%22%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)
Sevilla v Real Betis (midnight)
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
The%20specs
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
BAD%20BOYS%3A%20RIDE%20OR%20DIE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Adil%20El%20Arbi%20and%20Bilall%20Fallah%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EWill%20Smith%2C%20Martin%20Lawrence%2C%20Joe%20Pantoliano%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
SPECS
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WISH
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
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