News


From the editor's desk: Living the movie ‘Groundhog Day’

26 October 2022 News


Peter Howells, Editor

Have you ever woken up to a beautiful, bright and sunny South African day, and after drinking a cup of coffee while perusing the morning news headlines, had that distinct feeling of déjà vu? Well, this seems to be happening to me quite a lot lately. Everyday, I want to read uplifting articles but am faced with ‘bad news’ over and over again.

Is this surprising? Actually, not at all. The main reason being that good news does not sell as well as bad news. Most major news outlets distributing this news rely on readership and advertising and, unfortunately, the masses want to read the bad news. Maybe it makes their own mundane lives seem a little more acceptable, or maybe it simply gives them more to discuss when they meet up with colleagues. Whatever the reason, most headlines are not positive.

This does not translate into the fact that there is no ‘good news’, because quite frankly, if you do look hard enough (and read between the lines here and there), you will find many uplifting articles.

In South Africa, we have become used to getting news that either disappoints us, or worse, makes our blood boil. We have become desensitised, so that the delivery of bad news seems to be the norm. Of course, many individuals and organisations play directly into this by continually dropping the ball while at the same time seeming to get away with it (here’s looking at you, our SA leadership).

Our load shedding debacle does not help matters. 2022 has been the worst on record for load shedding, with over 1637 hours so far.

So, I’ll come straight out and say it. I believe that Eskom is beyond saving and will ultimately go the same route as other state-owned enterprises like SAA. The newly appointed board has been given the mandate to increase the energy availability factor to 75%. An impossible task without a major shift that will be blocked at every turn. That’s my bad news!

Now for the good news! This can be fixed. But to do this, Eskom needs to be treated the same way as a private sector company. Place it in business rescue, retrench all staff, and then employ or re-hire the ones that actually want to see the company succeed. I know this will not happen – but a guy can dream can’t he?

Instead of trying to fix a system that is beyond repair, the billions of Rands that they are asking for must rather be ploughed into renewable energy. South Africa is in the prime position to be the first country to get to ‘net zero’, and what a feather in our cap that could prove to be. We have the renewable resources – oodles of sunlight, wind- and wave-energy. There should be no excuse. Presently SA ranks 12th on the list of carbon dioxide emitters worldwide. This can and must change.

In November 2021, US, UK and the rest of the EU allocated $5,6 billion in seed money to SA. The money is meant for SA to retire its corruption- and debt-riddled fleet of coal-fired stations. It must be used to fund the thousands of workers who will lose their jobs in this process, and go towards the construction of renewable energy projects to push SA towards the goal of ‘net zero’.

And more good news is that this process has already started, with Komati Power Station hopefully becoming the flagship of this transition. The last unit will be permanently shut down this month and the station will be repurposed into a training facility for upskilling Eskom employees, and for assembling containerised solar microgrids that will be deployed across SA. The facility will be completely ‘net zero’ by generating all its renewable energy: 150 MW of solar, 70 MW of wind and 150 MW of battery storage.

Let’s all collectively hope that this process will be a huge success, so that SA can finally see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, that light being a ray of sunshine instead of an oncoming freight train.


Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

From the editor's desk: AI – a double-edged sword
Technews Publishing News
As with any powerful tool, AI presents challenges, some of which, if not carefully managed, threaten to undo the potential that it can offer.

Read more...
Global semiconductor sales increase
News
The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) has announced global semiconductor sales were $57,0 billion during the month of April 2025, an increase of 2,5% compared to the March 2025.

Read more...
Avnet Abacus announced new president
Avnet Abacus News
Avnet Abacus has announced that Mario Merino will succeed Rudy Van Parijs as president of Avnet Abacus, effective 1 July 2025.

Read more...
Avnet Abacus wins multiple prestigious awards
Avnet Abacus News
The awards from Molex recognise outstanding performance, collaboration, and significant growth in the challenging market conditions of 2024.

Read more...
From the editor's desk: Is the current AI really what we want?
Technews Publishing Editor's Choice
The companies that develop LLMs need to change direction and concentrate on freeing up our time, not so that we can have more time to do the tasks we don’t want to do in the first place, but rather to allow us more time to do what we love.

Read more...
Components distribution slowdown Q1 2025
News
European components distribution (DMASS) experienced a continued slowdown in the first quarter 2025.

Read more...
Semiconductor sales increase 17% YoY
News
The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) recently announced global semiconductor sales were $54,9 billion during the month of February 2025, an increase of 17,1% compared to the February 2024 total.

Read more...
Silicon Labs – Q1 results
News
Silicon Labs, a leading innovator in low-power wireless, recently reported financial results for the first quarter, which ended April 5, 2025.

Read more...
Strengthening industry through strategic partnerships at KITE 2025
Specialised Exhibitions News
The KwaZulu-Natal Industrial Technology Exhibition is not just an exhibition, it is a powerhouse of industry collaboration where visitors and exhibitors gain access to authoritative insights, technical expertise, and high-impact networking opportunities.

Read more...
Solar Youth Project calls on industry to step up
News
With the second cohort completed training and the first cohort returning for their final module, host companies are urgently needed to turn the training into a long-term opportunity.

Read more...









While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.




© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd | All Rights Reserved