Eskom has spent R12.4bn on diesel since April, a cost that Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has said is necessary to protect South Africa's economy.

'You have to make a choice on whether you continue to burn this diesel, essentially expending a lot of money, and protect the South African economy -- or allow the economy to go into free fall," said Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa on Sunday during his weekly media briefing on the implementation of the Energy Action Plan.

Ramokgopa was referring to the R12.4-billion Eskom spent on diesel from the start of April until now -- R9.2-billion of which was spent on burning diesel at Eskom plants, the rest on buying electricity generated by independent producers that burn diesel for their open-cycle gas turbines.

"I really want to emphasise that they [Eskom] were not surprised by these numbers," said Ramokgopa. "It was always part of our deliberate strategy to protect the South African economy."

Daily Maverick has reported that burning diesel to run Eskom's open-cycle gas turbines (OCGTs) -- intended only for dire emergencies or use during peak demand periods -- is a centrepiece of Ramokgopa's short-term plan to stave off higher stages of blackouts, especially during winter.

In May, Ramokgopa told Daily Maverick that he predicted that a diesel budget of R30-billion would run dry before the financial...