Photo by: Reuters
DARK DAYS: South Africa’s electricity crisis has its roots in poor policy decisions that span nearly three decades, starting with the failure to implement the 1998 White Paper. Administration after administration has failed to tackle the crisis, which has been amplified by stop-start investment, serious corruption, construction delays and a worrying skills flight. The overworked and undermaintained coal fleet is now decommissioning itself, leaving South Africans facing the prospect of a cold and dark winter, during which there is a worst-case risk of 101 days of load-shedding.