Durban - Questions have been raised over the timing and effectiveness of the deployment of SANDF soldiers to protect power stations from theft and vandalism as the country experiences high stages of load shedding, despite December being a period of low electricity demand.
On Saturday, Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the Presidency and the Department of Public Enterprises requested the Minister of Defence to provide support because of the increasing threat of sabotage, theft, vandalism and corruption at Eskom power stations.
Soldiers have been deployed at some of Eskom’s power stations, including Camden, Majuba, Tutuka and Grootvlei.
Magwenya, speaking on the sidelines of the ANC’s elective conference at Nasrec, said the announcement had nothing to do with the conference and was instead an ongoing process.
“If you go back to the State of the Nation address, presenting the national energy plan, the security aspect of dealing with Eskom was presented.
“The president visited Tutuka power station, Police Minister Bheki Cele was there and they were presented first-hand with what was going on at Eskom. We had power station managers wearing bullet-proof vests at work.
“It’s an unhealthy situation but those are dedicated South Africans committed to get out of this energy crisis,” Magwenya said.
Eskom has lurched from one crisis to another and CEO André de Ruyter resigned last week as the power utility continues to be the greatest inhibitor to economic growth and job creation, and a drain on the fiscus.
Eskom has also seen a conveyor belt of CEOs, with 13 in the past decade, and the board said an extensive search for the next CEO would be conducted.
The country has been on Stage 6 load shedding but Eskom announced that it would be reduced to Stage 5 from today and then Stage 4 tomorrow.
SANDF acting spokesperson Aubrey Sambo confirmed that soldiers had been deployed at four power stations.
Energy expert Tshepo Kgadima said the deployment of soldiers was a sign that the government and Eskom had lost control of the power utility.
“The board and management of Eskom effectively have lost total control, but they are making matters worse by deploying the army as this has never been its mandate.
“There is no threat of a terrorist attack and we are not in a state of war. It’s inexplicable what justification there can be for the army to be deployed to Eskom power stations.
“South Africans should be worried as the government is lost in terms of how to solve the electricity challenges of the country,” said Kgadima.
Political analyst Professor Sipho Seepe said the deployment of soldiers was a show of pretence that something was being done in the midst of the crisis.
“Eskom has some vandalism challenges, but the real challenge is with the system and the grid, and this is a diversion from dealing with the real crisis that the power utility is facing.
“We are going to continue to have load shedding,” said Seepe.
Political analyst Dr Fikile Vilikazi of the University of KwaZulu-Natal said she was not confident that the SANDF could deal with the crisis at Eskom without additional support.
However, energy analyst Professor Sampson Mamphweli said it was a positive move.
“It’s a good move to send a strong signal to criminals who are sabotaging the power stations. What needs to happen next is that every breakdown must be investigated by forensic experts to determine the root cause.”
Another energy expert, Chris Yelland, said high levels of load shedding in December, when many heavy industries were shut down, was a concern, especially when high demand would resume next month.
“We have seen Stage 6 and Stage 5 for an extended period when demand is low in the December period.”