In the end, Cyril Ramaphosa and his government failed to commit to a date on which to deliver desperately needed new generation infrastructure to alleviate power rationing, despite the glaring need in Eskom's infrastructure capacity. What this failure to act means is that we will still be here this time in 2020, and the following two years, with the president apologising for lack of electricity.

Having cut short his visit peace to the Aswan Forum for Peace in Egypt, President Cyril Ramaphosa landed in South Africa and headed to Eskom where, after listening to a briefing by both the board and management teams, he expressed his legendary "surprise and shock" at the poor supply of electricity. Ramaphosa also went back 12 years and employed some of the oldest tricks his predecessors have used to great effect to avoid culpability for the Eskom supply crisis.

"As we were already mid-course on our journey (to Egypt), we got to hear that the country had gone into Stage 6 of load shedding, and that surprised and shocked us. And I immediately felt that it was necessary that I should cut my visit short and return to the country," said Ramaphosa, addressing the media...