Eskom unbundling will take two more years — Mabuza
The government envisages completing the unbundling of Eskom into three separate entities only in 2022.
Deputy president David Mabuza said this while responding to oral questions in the National Council of Provinces yesterday.
It was Mabuza’s first appearance in parliament in several months, after his previous question-and-answer sessions were postponed in July and last month owing to ill health.
Responding to a question from ANC MP Tshitereke Matibe, Mabuza reported steady progress in the restructuring of Eskom into three entities, a move President Cyril Ramaphosa announced in his state of the nation address last year.
Ramaphosa said at the time that to beef up its operational efficiency, Eskom would be unbundled into separate firms — one responsible for generation, another for distribution and the third for transmission.
Mabuza has been appointed by Ramaphosa to lead a task team on the sustainability and turnaround of Eskom.
“We’re pleased by the progress we’re making [to transform and improve] the performance of Eskom under the leadership of the new CEO [Andre de Ruyter],” he said.
“The timeline can be up to 2022.
“We hope by that time we’ll have completed the restructuring of the whole entity, dividing it into three entities.”
Mabuza apologised to the country for ongoing load-shedding.
“We must apologise for the continued disruptions.
“This is because of our maintenance challenges.
“Our people and honourable members will understand that we’re dealing with a very old fleet and from time to time it presents operational problems.
“We’re confident with the introduction of Medupi and Kusile into the grid.
“I think Medupi will be [fully] operational at the end of the year, if everything goes well.
“Gradually it will reduce pressure on the generation of electricity.”