The economic fallout from state-owned Eskom's struggle to keep the lights on is a top issue in the 29 May poll.
The economic fallout from state-owned Eskom's struggle to keep the lights on is a top issue in the 29 May poll.the ANC won handily in local elections three years ago, party campaign worker Poppy Vilakazi has been getting a decidedly frosty reception lately.
Nowhere is that more evident than in Komati, where the conversion of a 60-year-old, 1GW coal power plant has triggered a local and national backlash. “If you can’t make your pilot work, it’s going to send a very bad message. It means you’ve failed,” said Chris Yelland, an energy expert who believes South Africa must pivot to renewables but worries Komati risks undermining that shift.
Years of mismanagement, corruption and neglect crippled Eskom. Near daily blackouts have curbed economic growth and contributed to one of the world’s highest unemployment rates. South Africa has committed to cutting emissions to between 350 and 420 million metric tons annually by 2030, from 442 million tons this decade. “We will prove that this can work,” said Thevan Pillay, Komati’s MD. “We’ll do that in the rest of the fleet. And it will change the mindset of people.”Residents in Mpumalanga, which produces the bulk of South Africa’s power and is the heart of a coal industry employing over 90 000 people, are sceptical.
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