The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) on Wednesday urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to break his silence on the “ever-growing crisis” at Eskom, demanding that the Department of Public Enterprises be dismantled and that all entities be placed in their line function departments.

The country was plunged to Stage 6 load-shedding after a wage deadlock that triggered protest disruptions at various Eskom plants.

IFP spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa said his party wanted Ramaphosa to address the nation on the situation at Eskom.

“At what ‘stage’ will the President feel prompted to speak to the people of South Africa? At what ‘stage’ will he step in, step up, and provide the urgent solutions this swiftly unfolding calamity deserves?” Hlengwa asked.

He said that with South Africans forced to spend almost 12 hours a day without electricity, Eskom is not meeting expectations. Rather, it is spectacularly failing to deliver on its most basic mandate: to keep the lights on, he said.

Eskom’s prolonged Stage 6 load-shedding has already caused significant damage to the country’s economy, he added, with over R4-billion wiped from the gross domestic product for each day it continues.

Hlengwa said this is a national crisis of epic proportions that has a debilitating socioeconomic impact.

“It is apparent that there is an absence of leadership - both politically and administratively. The Minister, Eskom Board, and its executive are not fit-for-purpose. As the IFP, we are demanding consequences. The Department of Public Enterprises must be dismantled, and all entities must be placed in their line function departments,” said Hlengwa.