The presidency said there is work under way to get the situation at Eskom under control and a special law enforcement team has been set up within the SAPS to tackle sabotage, theft and corruption at Eskom. 

Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said there are now 67 cases in court, of which three have been finalised with convictions.

“This week a contractor working at the Kemdan power station was arrested for sabotage aimed at securing more maintenance and repair jobs for his company,” he said.

Magwenya updated the president’s public engagements programme for the week ahead and addressed relevant issues of public and media interest.

On Sunday, Eskom announced that stage 5 load-shedding will be implemented during the evenings from 4pm until midnight from Monday to Wednesday.

“The president has accepted the devastating nature of load-shedding, not only to households but businesses, the economy and jobs. This year we’ve had about 162 days of power cuts, making it the worst year of load-shedding to date, that is accepted. It will take time for Eskom to return the generation unit at Kusile and other power stations to service and for new sources of capacity, including from private generators to come online,” he said.

He said there are a range of initiatives that are under way that would make load-shedding a thing of the past.

“Eskom is recruiting skilled personnel, including senior former plant managers and engineers from the private sector. To date, 18 skilled specialists have been brought back to Eskom, including at the Kendal, Koeberg and Medupi power stations, this skilled personnel will work closely with permanent Eskom teams and transfer their skills,” he said.

Magwenya said the new Eskom board has formed a committee focused on improving plant performance and includes the necessary engineering and other skills to support Eskom’s management in achieving this goal.

“This other measure will stabilise the performance of the existing fleet and lead to an improvement in reliability over the coming months, so there is work under way to improve the situation at Eskom and to get the country to a stage where we will have reliable power supply,” he said.

Meanwhile, President Cyril Ramaphosa still maintains he did not violate this oath in anyway and denies he is guilty of any of the allegations made against him in the Phala Phala saga.

National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has extended the deadline by which the independent panel of experts investigating the Phala Phala saga has to submit its report from Thursday to November 30.

In response, Magwenya said Ramaphosa respects the constitutionally enshrined independence of parliament and its process.

“The president wishes that all investigation processes related to the crime committed at his farm, in which he was a victim of, are concluded speedily. Ramaphosa has made certain that throughout his tenure as president, he abides by his oath of office and sets an example in his respect for the constitution, its institutions, due process and the rule of law,” he said.

Ramaphosa is expected to conduct a state visit to the UK, including Northern Ireland from November 22 to 23, at the invitation of King Charles III.

Magwenya said the visit provides an opportunity for SA and the UK to identify new areas of collaboration in advancing economic recovery and stability and reaffirming the solid foundation between the two countries.

“This is the first meeting at this level since the UK’s withdrawal from the EU and comes at a time when the economies of many countries, including SA and the UK, are affected by the lingering impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequences of the Ukraine-Russia conflict,” Magwenya said.

He said during the visit, Ramaphosa will also hold official talks with prime minister Rishi Sunak to review a range of issues of a bilateral, continental and global nature.

Memorandums of understanding on co-operation in science and innovation and on health co-operation will be signed during the state visit.

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