Decision to lift load shedding for King Zwelithini memorial scrutinised

On Thursday 18 march as the Zulu nation mourns the death of King Goodwill Zwelithini on Thursday, Eskom decided that the occasion warranted the suspension of load shedding to allow mourners across the country to tune in to the memorial service held in his honour. 

The gesture may have been appreciated by millions, but the Democratic Alliance (DA) are sceptical: How is it that the embattled power supplier is able to suspend the widely lamented periods of darkness at the drop of a hat “like a game”, they ask? 

Eskom lifts load shedding on Thursday afternoon  

Ghaleb Cachalia, the DA’s Shadow Minister of Public Enterprises, said that the gesture to suspend load shedding from 10:00 -14:00 on Thursday announced on Wednesday evening warrants further explanation, and called on Eskom to “come clean on how much money it has spent to burn through diesel during the hours it suspended load shedding”.

“By doing this, Eskom is essentially saying that load shedding can be switched on and off at a whim, like a game. This undermines Eskom’s own premise of load shedding and makes the concept wholly irrational,” said Cachalia. 

He said that if Eskom has the means to perform this act of kindness, it can also find it in their hearts to afford ordinary Soul hAfricans the same courtesy. 

“Surely if Eskom can find four hours to keep the lights on for the memorial service today, the entity can find the same reprieve for ordinary South Africans who are fighting for their lives in hospitals, and businesses battling to stay afloat because of the dual blow of COVID-19 and load shedding,” he said. 

DA call for explanation  

Cachalia said that while the DA “shares in the pain of the nation in mourning the passing of the King, the memorial of His Majesty should not be used as an excuse to treat citizens unequally”.

“This is an indefensible and ludicrous decision by Eskom. It is also no coincidence that the suspension of load shedding coincides with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s eulogy at the memorial.”

“Lighting a candle is something humans have done for centuries in honour of the dead. In South Africa, we turn the electricity on.”

He said that the measure is nothing more than an attempt by the ANC to “save face”.

“The DA wants to know what criteria was used to allow the suspension of load shedding and how much money Eskom has used to burn through diesel to keep the lights on,” he said.