Finance minister Enoch Godongwana says that South Africa will be able to call load shedding a ‘thing of the past’ within the next 12-18 months. Experts disagree.<\/p>\n
Speaking to Reuters<\/a> <\/strong>at the World Economic Forum (WEF), the minister said that stage 6 load shedding would ease within roughly five months in line with new measures and the revamping of power plants taking effect.<\/p>\n An emergency plan drawn up by president Cyril Ramaphosa and the National Energy Crisis Committee on Monday (16 January) also pins its hopes on ending at least the worst of the load shedding crisis by the end of the year<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n However, South Africans will be forgiven for getting a lingering sense of d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu, as these assurances echo many similar promises made by the national government over the last few years.<\/p>\n From former president Jacob Zuma all the way to utterances this week, the government has promised, time and time again, that an end to load shedding is in sight.<\/p>\n One of the most notable promises for an end to load shedding was made on 2 September 2015<\/a><\/strong>, when Ramaphosa – then deputy president and in charge of the Eskom energy ‘war room’ – told the nation that load shedding would be behind the country in “18 months to two years” (ie, by the end of 2017).<\/p>\n \u201cIn eighteen months to two years, you will forget that the challenges we had in relation to power or energy or Eskom ever existed,\u201d Ramaphosa said at the time.<\/p>\n More than five years after load shedding was supposed to be a thing of the past, rolling blackouts are not only still very much in existence, but have become part of daily life in South Africa – ripping through the economy, taking out businesses, jobs and quality of life in its wake.<\/p>\n And even now, with the minister’s latest comments in tow, experts, analysts and economists expect things to get worse<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n South Africa is in trouble, economists warn<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n