It has been an incredibly difficult start to the year, with intense loadshedding and a spike in crime having left individual and investor confidence decidedly soggy. While there have been improvements in the performance of some Eskom power stations, high utilisation factors leave these plants vulnerable as demand gets set to rise during winter. On the social and political fronts, meanwhile, things often heat up in South Africa as temperatures dip, particularly when there are outstanding wage negotiations, and elections loom.