President Cyril Ramaphosa has used the Human Rights Day commemoration to calm down the nation on the electricity crisis that has become a daily feature for SA.

Speaking at the Human Rights Day rally in Sharpville, in the Vaal on Thursday, Ramaphosa said the government is aware of the frustration the nation is facing, noting that the government is doing all it could to address what has become the biggest threat to the economy.

 “The energy crisis we are facing will pass. We have confronted difficulties before and overcame. Challenges that seem insurmountable, we have also confronted. We have always prevailed. We can overcome this electricity crisis that is engulfing our country. We will overcome it just as we overcame the apartheid challenge,” said Ramaphosa.

Eskom has been implementing stage four load-shedding since at the weekend as it struggles to meet electricity demand.

The power utility said the crisis was triggered by damage of pylons distributing power from Mozambique as a result of Cyclone Idai which lashed that country, Zimbabwe and Malawi since Thursday last week.

The crisis was further exacerbated by a number of units tripping at power stations and the unavailability of diesel used to run open-cycle gas turbines in case of emergencies.

Public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan assured this week that the government will come back with a clear answer on the crisis at Eskom in 10 to 14 days.