"Eskom is a Joke": South Africans Are Not Happy with Eskom's Stage 8 Loadshedding Warning

• Eskom says power generation could be compromised in future and South Africans could be seeing more rolling blackouts
• The state-owned power utility says it will have to forgo 16 000 MW because of the restrictions being placed on Eskom by the environment department
• South Africans are not happy about the possibility of severe loadshedding and some have accused the power utility of blackmailing the country

JOHANNESBURG - South Africans should start bracing themselves for more rolling blackouts in the near future, Eskom has warned.

The state-owned power utility more loadshedding can be expected because electricity generation could be compromised now that the environment department has denied Eskom's application to pollute more than the legal requirement.

BusinessInsider reports that Eskom is one of the worst polluters in the world, and the power utility says it cannot be in compliance with the law as well as keep the lights of South Africans on at the same time.

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Eskom says it will now close down a third of its power generation which will result in a loss of 16 000 MW.

Speaking in an interview with eNCA, Eskom senior official Diedre Herbst says the power utility has appealed the decision taken by the department because it also has serious financial implications.

"We have asked for remediation so we hope to engage with DMARI, the DPPE, the department of environment and find a balanced solution which improves and reduces the impact on health but also addresses the financial burden that this will create," says Herbst.

South Africans are not prepared for Stage 8 loadshedding

Heading to Facebook, South Africans have shared their frustrations about Eskom's warning for severe rolling blackouts. Some people are considering moving to solar power to avoid being affected by loadshedding in future.

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Here are some of their remarks:

Brian Kritzinger said:

"Eskom for sale.... I think it's time a new power utility gets introduced. We should be able to switch back & forth between providers. Solar companies should start a contract service, let's go solar and rather pay them that R1700pm."

Yusuf Mohamed said:

"With all the money bailouts and all the electricity price hikes they could have built another Eskom already."

Thabang Tall T Sibeko said:

"Eskom is a joke... blackmail really "

Luzanne Watkins Courie said:

"Only reason that Eskom nags like a old dishcloth is because they could not get approval for increasing electricity rates... so they will now try everything to play on South Africans fear of being without electricity to further milk South Africans."

Eskom’s application for Medupi and Matimba to pollute the air denied, electricity supply threatened

Briefly News previously reported that Eskom submitted an application to gain permission for its Medupi and Matimba power stations to produce more pollution but their request was denied.

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Eskom's application for Medupi and Matimba to pollute denied, electricity supply threatened

Following the rejection of their request, the power utility has voiced its concerns about maintaining a steady electricity supply.

Current air pollution regulations, particularly on sulphur dioxide limits, do not permit Eskom to produce as much coal-powered electricity at Medupi and Matimba as they need to in order to power South Africa.

Source: Briefly News