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Trade union Solidarity today expressed its intention to support Mr Tshediso Matona, newly appointed CEO of Eskom, in dealing with the electricity crisis in South Africa. Solidarity is, however, concerned that the appointment of a former director-general points to an approach whereby Eskom is to be run like a state department.
 
According to Deon Reyneke, head of the energy industry at Solidarity, Eskom and electricity supply in South Africa are currently in a crisis that calls for both short- and long-term solutions. Eskom’s biggest problems in the short term involve, among other things, its dire financial position; its inability to upgrade its infrastructure; poor morale among employees; and the challenges associated with getting new power stations like Medupi off the ground.
“To resolve this crisis in the long term, South Africa has to obtain a diversified supply of electricity. All of South Africa’s eggs are currently in one basket, namely Eskom, as far as the provision of electricity is concerned. A thorough long-term strategy should include giving free access to additional electricity providers. Eskom should therefore make its electricity distribution network available to such providers,” said Reyneke.
 
“We would like to see Matona attending to the source of Eskom’s problems as well as the country’s electricity crisis,” he added.