Until the snow fell earlier this month, load shedding became less intense, with periods where Eskom suspended power cuts. It was a relief for a country that was upended by Stage 6 for almost all of 2023 and 2022. In an interview, Eskom chairperson Mpho Makwana explained the turnaround plan.

Mpho Makwana: We committed to this country that we would have a turnaround in energy availability and that by 31 March 2023 we would achieve specific measures in terms of contributing towards 60% energy availability. We then said that we would strive towards 31 March 2024, to have a 65% energy availability factor, and then 31 March 2025, 70%.

(At 70% energy availability, load shedding should not be needed. This chart shows the turnaround strategy.)

Question: What does that mean in our lives? Because at Stage 3 load shedding, power cuts don't feel quite existential.

Answer: As you improve energy availability, so will the levels of load shedding come down. So, on days when we don't load-shed, as it has now become a phenomenon, it is when we are already operating at 65% EAF [energy availability factor]. So, between 65% and 70%, load shedding becomes a non-issue.

Q: Is it now possible to see a future without load shedding?

A: It is possible.

Q: How much of Eskom's R30-billion budget for diesel (to fuel the emergency open-cycle gas turbines) for 2023 has already been spent? (In 2022 and 2023, Eskom burnt through diesel at such a rate that it had...