Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa visited Eskom on Thursday and described the under-strain power utility as a “glorious company”, its CEO said.<\/p>\n
“The deputy president referred to it as a glorious company,” Eskom CEO Tshediso Matona told reporters in Johannesburg.<\/p>\n
In the same briefing, Matona warned that there would be no end soon to load shedding, or scheduled blackouts.<\/p>\n
“This is a pattern that Eskom is going to find itself in for some time to come.”<\/p>\n
Matona said he had been with the company for three and a half months.<\/p>\n
“I have come to understand much more deeply the nature of the problem and what is required to deal with it.<\/p>\n
“We know what the problem is [and] we know what solution is required to get out of the situation that we find ourself in, as Eskom and as a country.”<\/p>\n
Eskom is like a car that has not been maintained, Matona said.<\/p>\n
“The metaphor of a car is very useful. If you continue to drive a car without maintaining it, it will carry you but at some point it breaks down.<\/p>\n
“I think this is what is happening with many generating units at Eskom.”<\/p>\n
Eskom has had a “maintenance philosophy” but it did not always stick to it.<\/p>\n
“Eskom has not stayed faithful to that maintenance religion for a very, long time. The reliability of our equipment is the price we are paying,” the CEO said.<\/p>\n
When to expect Eskom\u2019s next load shedding<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n No quick fix for Eskom crisis: expert<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Government may pull out of Vodacom: report<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n