Heads must roll

[Chatmaster]

Does anyone have more info on the Carte Blanche program. I also missed it.

[IanF]

The link is Carte Blanche Transcript One of the most comprehensive reports to come on this issue.
Here is a telling part:
"The current spate of blackouts started on Monday, 14 January and is still ongoing. The public has been told that it's due to a high consumer demand.

Or is the truth actually that Eskom's power production has reached an all time low?

This confidential report shows just that. On the 1 February last year - during the maintenance cycle - Eskom's output was more than 32 000mW. But this Thursday it spiralled to a debilitating low of 27 000mW.

When you examine this page, the reason becomes obvious. All these units were out of service.

The total capacity loss was over 9 000mW - enough to power three cities the size of Johannesburg.

Steve: 'We have unplanned outages. That is something that has been increasing slightly lately. Although the incidents of unplanned outages of Eskom plants is still very, very good when we compare it to international benchmarks.'"

[Dave A]

Thanks, Ian. I'm reading it now. Hot stuff!

I just got to the bit that had my bud fuming this morning:

Derek: 'But you have got less than half of the staff you had 15 years ago?'

Steve: 'Yes, and that just shows how inefficient Eskom was 15 years ago.'

Derek: 'But at least they were producing enough power. They had an excess capacity.'

Steve: 'They had an excess capacity and you can argue that: is an excess capacity better than a shortage? Both of them are negative.'

F'in asshole

[Dave A]

Here's another:

Alec (Irwin): 'The argument that there has been a loss of skills is really, in our view, trying to score a political point.'

So we can ignore the fact that it is true then, can we?

[Debbiedle]

Over the past ten years the utility giant has pocketed enormous profits. In 2006 this amounted to R6.45-billion, an increase of 39 percent from 2005.

This is what gets me! How hard did you work for your profits and did they reach even 0,1% of these figures?

[duncan drennan]

I thought you might like this line from the government's statement on Friday,

In a sense we are the victims of our own success.

[Chatmaster]

OK, I am more determined than ever before. I WANT HEADS TO ROLL!
If there is one thing that complete messes with my head, it is idiots that give us the political "no answer" as an answer. WTH is wrong with these people? Are they so thick and dumb as to think we do not know they are incompetent? They must go the lot of them. Their actions so far is criminal! They belong in jail! They sabotaged the country successfully and they still have jobs! They shouldn't have jobs, they belong in jail! This is above comprehension.

Alec Irwin (Minister of Public Enterprises): 'The underlying problem is the very significant rise in demand - particularly over the past few years - resulting from an economy working at full capacity, the rising standards of living with close on 3.5 million homes having access to electricity since 1994. In this sense, we are the victims of our own success.'

Mmmmm, does this idiot have any kind of education, seriously! I mean who can believe that whilst it is clear to everyone else that Eskom is generating less electricity than before, he actually believes his own statement?

Steve: 'They had an excess capacity and you can argue that: is an excess capacity better than a shortage? Both of them are negative.'

OK, does this guy have half a brain?

However, Eskom's Steve Lennon insists that wet coal remains a major problem and, when pressed to supply Carte Blanche with figures of the actual stockpiles at the power stations, he declined.

Derek: 'Can you give us a print-out of how much coal is being delivered to those stations?'

Steve: 'We can give you the big picture on coal, but to give you the detail on every single power station and the coal situation is not our policy.'

Derek: 'Why not?'

Steve: 'Because there is obviously security issues that relate to the security of the supply to those power stations. But what I can say is that we have never been in the situation where our stockpiles have gotten to a zero or negative situation.'

So are we all going to steal coal to make diamonds?

Derek: 'So why do they deserve R57-million?'

Steve: 'It is our goal to continue to produce electricity.'

What an idiot!

This diagram from Eskom's intranet is for internal use only. It shows the megawatts that Eskom exports at a specific time to South Africa's neighbouring states. This week, while our gold mines were shut down, Eskom sent 761mW to the MOZAL aluminium smelter in Maputo.

At the same time, Swaziland was receiving 476mW, Botswana 103mW, Namibia 126mW and Zimbabwe 51mW.

Added up, this is more than 1 500mW six times the amount that Johannesburg was forced to load shed daily.

They have been lying all along!

OK, my summary after reading the transcript. Eskom has been run by criminals that tried their best to steal Eskom and the country blind without being criminally liable. If you don't pay transporters and you have to pay less than half the personnel it equals more profits and big bonuses.

This in my view is a clear cut criminal case. They should all go to jail for fraud and sabotage.

And the solution is easy, says Eskom's CEO Jacob Maroga, 'Just save electricity'.

So I can steal you blind for a little longer Gotta love that!

I want action, I want action now! Patricia De lile has my full support that the entire cabinet and Thabo should go. Eskom as far as I am concerned are being run by criminals that have been making monkeys out of all of us for years.

[Dave A]

You had me scratching around for something on Patricia's comments - and found this:

Independent Democrats (ID) leader Patricia de Lille accused Mbeki and his government of having ignored warnings about the crunch in electricity supplies.

"President Mbeki and his Cabinet have failed the South African people," De Lille said in a statement.

"The failure to plan, despite documented warnings almost 10 years ago, to avert a national electricity crisis, has already cost our country billions of rand in lost production and tax revenue, which threatens the job security and livelihoods of millions of South Africans."

The ID, with only five seats in the African National Congress (ANC)-dominated 400-seat Parliament, is unlikely to win the support of a majority but the motion is highly symbolic.

De Lille said it would be brought at the first sitting of Parliament's National Assembly on February 12, a few days after Mbeki's annual State of the Nation address.

"Our entire economy has been built around the comparative advantage of affordable and reliable electricity and the president and his Cabinet have essentially destroyed that advantage through incompetence and negligence," De Lille said.

"This will have severe repercussions on our economic growth trajectory and foreign investment," she said.
extracts from M&G here

It would be interesting to see this one go to a vote.

[Chatmaster]

I am a big supporter of the News bulletins, they had an interview with her last night on 2 I think. As far as the ANC majority vote is concerned, I am a bit unsure what to expect with Zuma being the new ANC president anything is possible. Maybe it is just the little optimist in me hoping that some of them actually do their duty

I cannot help it this issue makes me angry, after the post I actually felt bad about my hard words, but what to do when you are being treated like an idiot?

[Dave A]

You read my mind. There's a rather unique outside chance of an upset.