9 minutes ago, phil.g00 said:

Please don't be so naive as to think this demise of ESKOM hasn't taken over 15 years of looting and self-serving manipulation of public and private monies.

I said that already. Since Mbeki.

9 minutes ago, phil.g00 said:

My point is that article clearly shows the ANC were in on the ground floor with their hands in the till. In fact, they were in before the ground floor.

I said that too. Where does the ANC get the money to run their party, pay for the elections, the food parcels, the T-shirts, the ANC functions?

10 minutes ago, phil.g00 said:

As to believing off-grid customers are the cause of the demise, that's baloney.

Who said that?

Most reduce their usage after increases, commercial the most, that is the biggest drop for Eskom.

18 minutes ago, phil.g00 said:

As much as you might want to take credit for it, sleep easy, you didn't break ESKOM.

And there I thought it was the ANC with Parli's "see no evil, hear no evil and never ever speak no evil". 😀

2 hours ago, seant said:

I seem to remember one of the central America countries have a totally green power grid.

Investing in solar, if Eskom comes tumbling down I'm not sure anymore. After a week or two without Eskom I think having your lights on might very well create more problems than you want. News 24 just published an article saying that Eskom is technically  insolvent and on this current path they won't make it past April .

In the Congo DRC, traffic light and street lights run off solar panels and batteries attached to the poles. No one dares to steal it. 

2 hours ago, plonkster said:

That is what I keep saying. If it really is that bad, the answer isn't solar. The answer is emigration. I've now seen two cases of an entire solar system sold because the owner decided to emigrate instead.

But they probably emigrated for reasons other than Eskom failing. Emigration isn't always the answer.  The grass is greener on the other side, simply cause there's more shit there. I know people who emigrated, some years ago and never came back. And I know some people who emigrated and came back. Emigration is a personal matter. 

@The Terrible Triplett, Sorry I took your comment of the article being 3 years old, to mean it was irrelevant to Medupi's design and choice of contractors.

When it clearly points out that any ANC enquiry into mismanagement will clearly disappear up its own rectum.

But at least "we" will understand that soon.

 

I also interpreted the quotation in your post mentioning "Off-grid" to imply some causative relationship.

Truth be told, besides S&D, there has also been a massive drive by ESKOM to reduce usage that has to be factored in to that 1% drop as well.

So lack of sales, is not seen as the problem, because it isn't.

12 minutes ago, phil.g00 said:

... article being 3 years old ...

And nothing that I am aware of, came out of that R250m fine. Where are the monies!? Assumed you would have picked up on that too. Sorry.

14 minutes ago, phil.g00 said:

"Off-grid"

The person interviewed in that article said that "driven some customers off-grid and shut others down". Some is nothing.

The others ... read about the disaster for small business in Parow Industria, businesses having to close down in droves like bakeries, small smelters, they simply could not absorb the losses when Eskom shutted down outside the published schedules. Our freaking most awesome Mom and Pop Fish and Chips place also shut down because of Eskom failures. That was the last straw! 🙂 

27 minutes ago, SilverNodashi said:

The answer is emigration.

As I said before, SOME few individuals can maybe immigrate, the MAJORITY of SAFFA's cannot. We are stuck here.

EDIT: Is it not a generalization to say that immigration is the answer? 🙂 

Edited February 13, 20197 yr by Guest

8 hours ago, The Terrible Triplett said:

As (facepalm) as that is, the fact remains renewable cannot yet be the backbone of any countries grid. But ja, I hear you.

Can renewable help when Eskom must shed 4kw, YES!!! But we need to spend ton loads of cash to build a grid for that.

 

As wastage as that is, it is better for all of that to be on, than off. 🙂 

Talk about energy wastage: https://youtu.be/fjMRVmbdzK8

15 minutes ago, The Terrible Triplett said:

And nothing that I am aware of, came out of that R250m fine. Where are the monies!? Assumed you would have picked up on that too. Sorry.

It was a US securities and exchange out-of-court settlement, under the foreign corrupt practices act for allegedly bribing the ANC. 

Washington D.C., Sept. 28, 2015 —

The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged Tokyo-based conglomerate Hitachi, Ltd. with violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) when it inaccurately recorded improper payments to South Africa’s ruling political party in connection with contracts to build two multi-billion dollar power plants.

Hitachi has agreed to pay $19 million to settle the SEC charges.

The SEC alleges that Hitachi sold a 25-percent stake in a South African subsidiary to a company serving as a front for the African National Congress (ANC).  This arrangement gave the front company and the ANC the ability to share in the profits from any power station contracts that Hitachi secured.  Hitachi was ultimately awarded two contracts to build power stations in South Africa and paid the ANC’s front company approximately $5 million in “dividends” based on profits derived from the contracts.  Through a separate, undisclosed arrangement, Hitachi paid the front company an additional $1 million in “success fees” that were inaccurately booked as consulting fees without appropriate documentation.

“Hitachi’s lax internal control environment enabled its subsidiary to pay millions of dollars to a politically-connected front company for the ANC to win contracts with the South African government,” said Andrew J. Ceresney, Director of the SEC’s Enforcement Division.  “Hitachi then unlawfully mischaracterized those payments in its books and records as consulting fees and other legitimate payments.”

 

 

And what did the ANC purchase with its 30 pieces of silver? ( and this is a December 2018 article).

 

In Eskom’s sights is Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Africa, which two senior Eskom engineers told City Press had contributed to knocking off as much as 1 000 megawatts of the power utility’s generation capacity this week.

They say the design flaws affecting Medupi and Kusile – which are set to cost a combined R345 billion – all relate to work contracted to the Japanese multinational, and resulted in Medupi’s three operational units either shutting down entirely or losing part of their output.

 

Where is Pravin's little investigation going to get him?

 

19 minutes ago, The Terrible Triplett said:

"driven some customers off-grid and shut others down". Some is nothing.

Agreed.

20 minutes ago, The Terrible Triplett said:

The others ... read about the disaster for small business in Parow Industria, businesses having to close down in droves like bakeries, small smelters, they simply could not absorb the losses when Eskom shutted down outside the published schedules. Our freaking most awesome Mom and Pop Fish and Chips place also shut down because of Eskom failures. That was the last straw!

Sorry, to hear it.

8 minutes ago, SilverNodashi said:

Talk about energy wastage: https://youtu.be/fjMRVmbdzK8

Me and that guy, we both will be Pressi's and sort it all out!!! (cwl)

 

22 minutes ago, phil.g00 said:

Where is Pravin's little investigation going to get him?

I had SOME hope for Pravin, that he is above it all. Same as Cyril, but it seems they BOTH KNOW where the skeletons are buried. Nothing will come from it all unless they, the ANC, is replaced.

For if the ANC cannot get to the bottom all the corruption, who in their right mind can even begin to imagine how they can ever get to Eskom's problems, the ones they only now "say" the "understand", after 20 years.

I think the time is has come to call BS, and shout and scream it as hard as we all can.

17 minutes ago, The Terrible Triplett said:

I think the time is has come to call BS, and shout and scream it as hard as we all can.

You make it sound unpopular?

This is what the majority of people voted for, again and again, and they will do so again and again in the future. 

 

 

On this forum we seem to have  a realistic grip on the eskom scenario - especially the gloomy picture of prolonged stages four and higher. I.e. the problem.

From inside sa no answer could be found given the lack of cohesion and political will.

What are your thoughts on solutions?

Hello darkness, my old friend ....

 

Our neighbors are enjoying loadshedding again.  

The Eskom split is a good idea, but they should never be allowed to build a power station again. 

IPPs should be the way forward.

Of course IPP's will be presented as the solution, and they'll be efficiently run as well. ( or there will trouble at the Motsepe dinner table).

Motsepe apparently likes a cold platter....

And Brian Dames eats at that table too, same guy who oversaw the Kusile and Medupi contracts.

And you thought it was bad planning, that caused this.

2 hours ago, gabriel said:

What are your thoughts on solutions?

We bashed around a few, but because we are the vast inconsequential minority, as Phil pointed out ... where the problem actually lies, not matter how hard WE shout BS:

3 hours ago, phil.g00 said:

This is what the majority of people voted for, again and again, and they will do so again and again in the future. 

So at THIS point in time I'm leaning towards ...

2 hours ago, SilverNodashi said:

Hello darkness, my old friend ....

🙂 

Quick summary of Eskom's history: 1922-2019 The Rise and Fall of Eskom

See this part?
He has told MPs that the crisis is the cumulative effect of years of mismanagement and corruption. If the power utility continues on its present trajectory, it will cease to exist in less than three months’ time.

Edited February 13, 20197 yr by Guest

Do you guys ever wonder if perhaps, some time around 1670 a young 20-year old man from Schleswig-Holstein thought... life sucks in this country... I'm getting on a boat and moving to Africa where I am going to work for the VOC... and perhaps we're just doing the same thing now in reverse? 🙂

(I am actually describing my own first ancestor... about 12 generations back).

1 minute ago, plonkster said:

Do you guys ever wonder if perhaps, some time around 1670 a young 20-year old man from Schleswig-Holstein thought... life sucks in this country... I'm getting on a boat and moving to Africa where I am going to work for the VOC... and perhaps we're just doing the same thing now in reverse? 🙂

(I am actually describing my own first ancestor... about 12 generations back).

Ironically, yes. I get that feeling that we're about to embark on that same old voyage again. 

Hamba gashle you two ( @plonkster @SilverNodashi )!  Go go back to where you "came" from now before the airports / sea ports close. 🙂

Me, I'm going to sit back and enjoy THIS roller-coaster ride ... 

 

Yes a lot of reading but lets be clear, we cannot know unless we make the effort.

We where not that far off @phil.g00. This is even worse than we thought:  Eskom and the multi-billion rand mega projects that could have saved SA
With suggestions of fixes, like do not finish Kusile ... and go renewables @gabriel
BUT ... 18 months of planning and because of Kusile and Medupe, we have NO reserves with the older stations now failing faster.

 

Cyril did not see this? He was prepping his speech ...  Special report: New pressures on Eskom’s plant performance as contract workers down tools
Eskom COO was already worried on 7 Feb 2019.
Even a "major Chinese shareholder" is worried, I quote: "The major Chinese shareholder of Clyde Bergemann in Germany is balking at further equity injections to its ailing South African subsidiary, which is facing severe cash-flow problems as a result of the capital projects at Medupi and Kusile turning sour." There goes the China plan ... 

Maybe my 2-5 years is not correct ... Eskom is "technically insolvent" and will cease to exist at the current trajectory by April 2019, the portfolio committee on public enterprises heard.

And Ramaphosa 'shocked, angry' over 'broken' Eskom - okay whatever you say ... Hello Darkness my old friend ... 

 

6 hours ago, The Terrible Triplett said:

before the airports / sea ports close

NAaah, like a typical saffer I will say these things (because they are the deepest worry in my mind), but I will continue to hope that I am wrong and wait it out with the other frogs. True story.

But the issue of an airport closing, that is indeed a concern. Which is why I have checked the routes via Hosea Kutako 🙂

1 hour ago, plonkster said:

NAaah, like a typical saffer I will say these things (because they are the deepest worry in my mind), but I will continue to hope that I am wrong and wait it out with the other frogs. True story.

But the issue of an airport closing, that is indeed a concern. Which is why I have checked the routes via Hosea Kutako 🙂

I also have my "worst case" emergency plan in place, do passport checkout in Polokwane (about 80Km's drive from where I live) and fly out to Namibia with a small charter if I have to, and then decide to where to from there.

1 minute ago, PJJ said:

about 80Km's drive from where I live

It's a bit more for me, but my theory is that going via Stellenbosch/Malmesbury, pretty much the usual route, should be doable. Early hours of the morning (also standard procedure). Once you're far enough North of Cape Town it should be fine. The only remaining challenge is Diesel to make it far enough... and I can do 800km on a tank, so that too should be fine too. Yes, sound a bit like a prepper, but we are discussing worst case stuff.. right... and TTT will be here shortly to tell me lots of people have the same plan. Sure... but at least half of them don't have passports, several don't have own transport, and most don't have citizenship. The first component of any get-out plan is a valid passport.