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Sir,

I was out for a run with a friend of mine and he produced a ridiculous statement: “I’m all in favour of load-shedding.” How could he say that? Had he been living in South Africa where sometimes people have electricity for barely 20 per cent of the day and night; with a degree of compensation from massively reduced electricity bills? Load-shedding was the cause implemented by Eskom because the system could not meet peak demand in that country.

Let us get straight to the point; we need a statement from the relevant authorities in government and the parastatal sector, updating us on whether or not Eswatini will be self-sufficient in energy supply for the population at the end of 2025. We want to hear ‘yes’, and not ‘maybe’ or even ‘don’t know’.

Construction

So where are we? We were once informed through the media by the relevant authorities that we would be energy self-sufficient by December 2025. But at that time the planned E12 billion thermal plant at Lubhuku, Malindzi was reportedly ready for construction. The feasibility study had been completed. We have had the resources for the production of thermal energy throughout the past few decades but those years are littered with the many missed opportunities by government. The circumstances surrounding the issue of exploration and mining licences were never publicly understood; we became the land of wasted opportunity with perfectly reputable investors leaving for other options through dissatisfaction with the terms of a deal or simply fed up waiting for decisions.

I am talking like that individual; anxious to know the position. Not least, to know whether or not I have to prepare myself for a life of cold showers in the morning, losing food in the freezer, reading by candlelight and cooking over a wood fire. Because that is the very real risk for many in Eswatini if we are not self-sufficient by December 2025.

Chris