The South African government, facing the looming prospect of power blackouts for years to come, says it is moving closer to an emergency declaration of a national state of disaster to help it tackle the energy crisis that has devastated its economy.this year as the electricity shortages worsen. The IMF projected on Tuesday that South Africa’s economic growth will drop to 1.2 per cent this year, less than half of its growth last year, largely because of the rolling blackouts.
His government is under massive pressure to resolve the rotating blackouts, which are cutting the power supply for up to 10 hours a day and have been imposed every day this year so far, following 205 days of blackouts last year. The power cuts are expected to continue for at least two more years. Key leaders in the ANC government have stalled the move to renewable energy for years, even as the failure of its coal-based power system becomes increasingly obvious.