South Africa’s largest business confederation has assured President Cyril Ramaphosa of the business community’s support for current efforts to stabilise electricity supply in the country and to secure the sustainability of Eskom as a reliable power utility.
Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) said at a meeting in Pretoria on Wednesday that it had made a commitment to leverage its membership in order to place expertise, skills and technological interventions at the disposal of government and Eskom, to reinforce actions that are currently being implemented to stabilise Eskom and to secure the supply of electricity.
Engagement on these initiatives would serve to complement and strengthen the work being done by the management and board of Eskom in partnership with the Special Cabinet Committee and the technical review team of Eskom, BUSA said.
At the meeting, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan updated South Africa’s largest business federation on the challenges facing Eskom and actions that were unfolding to mitigate the immediate crisis and secure the long term sustainability of the power utility.
BUSA proposed the creation of a collaborative platform where business, government and Eskom could work together to explore practical solutions to address the short term operational challenges facing the utility.
The body said it would engage with its members on issues, including demand management that could help to reduce pressure on the national grid.
“This platform will enable regular and transparent communication with the business community; lend operational and technical expertise and solutions, as well as leverage available human capital by secondment or other means,” the presidency, on its part, said in a welcoming statement of BUSA’s initiative.
NM/jn/APA