Julius Malema, leader of the opposition party Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), has called for the establishment of a Government of National Unity (GNU) in South Africa to resolve the current economic crisis.
In an interview with BBC, Malema criticised the African National Congress (ANC)-led government for its inability to address pressing economic concerns. He said:
The president is not carrying the national agenda. We need a Government of National Unity constituted by all of us who are not driven by political party interests but the interests of South Africa to resolve this immediate crisis which will affect all aspects of our lives.
South Africa is currently facing a multitude of challenges, including an electricity crisis that has been worsening over the past 15 years. The power shortages have been attributed to inadequate investments in the country’s ageing coal-fired power plants.
Julius Malema‘s proposal for the establishment of a Government of National Unity (GNU) coincides with the announcement by South Africa‘s state power utility, Eskom, that it may need to increase power cuts to an unprecedented level this winter. Said Eskom Group Executive for Transmission Segomoco Scheppers in a media briefing:
This is going to be a very difficult winter.
Many households and businesses in Africa’s most industrialised economy are already facing scheduled electricity outages of more than 10 hours a day, largely due to breakdowns in Eskom’s ailing fleet of coal power stations.
The gap between supply and demand is expected to increase in the coming winter months as people turn on their heaters, putting additional pressure on the grid.
Eskom has not yet gone beyond “Stage 6” power cuts, which require 6,000 megawatts to be shed from the national grid. Scheppers said this winter it may move to “Stage 8” which would require up to 8,000 megawatts to be shed, translating to 16 hours of outages in a 32-hour cycle.