SA sal kragooreenkoms met Namibië nakom

Terwyl druk op die Suid-Afrikaanse regering toeneem om oplossings vir dié land se energiekrisis te vind, het dié land se minister vir elektrisiteit Kgosientso Ramokgopa oor die naweek die versekering gegee dat die verskaffingsooreenkoms vir elektrisiteit met Namibië nagekom sal word en dat daar geen planne was om dit te onderbreek nie. Terwyl Suid-Afrika self tekorte aan elektrisiteit ervaar, is dit verbind tot &#039;n As pressure mounts on the South African government to find solutions to the country’s energy crisis, that country’s electricity minister Kgosientso Ramokgopa reiterated over the weekend that South Africa will fulfil its electricity supply obligations to Namibia and had no plans to pull the plug on its neighbour.Despite its own energy woes, South Africa is locked in a power purchase agreement with Namibia, one which has in recent months been the subject of public debate with some quarters questioning why South Africa is not declaring a force majeure on the deal in order to satisfy its domestic electricity demand.Speaking on the margins of the African National Congress’ national executive committee meeting over the weekend, Ramokgopa pledged that SA will see out the agreement which expires in 2025.“We will honour our obligations because South Africa is a credible player in international relations, conventions and commitments we have with other sovereign jurisdictions. We have not reached a stage where we are considering declaring a force majeure, it’s a conversation that will happen at the level of government but we are not there yet,” Ramokgopa said during a press conference in Boksburg on Saturday morning.He was responding to questions from the press on whether SA is considering pulling out of the electricity deal with Namibia.Ramokgopa, who also admitted that it is not possible to end load shedding by the end of this year in South Africa, was confident that his country has sufficient resources to honour the agreement.“For now, we have anything in our arsenal to address this situation,” he said.Tough taskRamokgopa said while the electricity cuts would still be with us in December, the utility was working hard to ensure that it is not as drastic."So the long and short of it is that, no, load shedding will still be with us even by the end of this calendar year, but we will do everything possible to ensure that its intensity is not as severe, so that we get the South African economy going."Ramokgopa said several interventions were being implemented, including the addition of 4 000 megawatts of power to the grid in the next six months."4 500 MW relieves us of that pressure, five interventions and then six to 18 months conservatively 12 500 MW... there&#039;s a multiplicity of interventions, about eight of them that are possible."Tariff hike headacheNamibia’s electricity are also finding it increasingly hard to keep their lights on, this comes after Namibia Power Corporation requested a 16.87% increase in electricity tariffs for the 2023/24 year. The power utility cited inflation as one of the primary reasons for the tariff hike plans.This move, however, is not sitting well with the country’s biggest agricultural unions, as it feels the proposed hike is more than the double inflation rate.There are further concerns that the price hike will push up the cost of food production, which will subsequently result in food prices hitting the ceiling. The Electricity Control Board is busy considering the proposal, a decision is expected by the end of next week.“Based on this approved bulk tariff from Nampower, the other power suppliers such as the Regional Electricity Distributors (REDs) and local authorities must also submit their applications for power rate adjustments to the ECB for approval,” according to the NAU. Stakeholders now have the opportunity to submit objections to the ECB. “Given the current state of the economy, the high unemployment rate and the challenges in which farming finds itself after a very limited rainy season, the NAU, on behalf of its members, seriously objected to the excessive increase,” the NAU said. The union said it believes that the ECB will thoroughly consider the state of the country&#039;s economy and the objections of stakeholders and will approve a responsible power tariff to be applied as from 1 July. HONOURING THE PACT: South Africa says it will honour its end of the electricity deal with Namibia. Photo: ESKOM/Contributed

SA sal kragooreenkoms met Namibië nakom

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Republikein 2025-11-05

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SA sal kragooreenkoms met Namibië nakom

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