As Daily Maverick has reported, 2022 has been the worst year for scheduled power cuts by the monopoly energy utility. There have been cuts on more than 100 days this year – and 2022 was 260 days old on 18 September.
The timeline below illustrates just how the country landed in this tumultuous position:
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Illustrative image | Sources: Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter. (Photo: Waldo Swiegers / Bloomberg via Getty Images ) | Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla) | Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan. (Photo: ESA Alexander / Sunday Times) | Electricity transmission pylons. (Photo: Waldo Swiegers / Bloomberg via Getty Images) | A coal delivery truck at the Eskom Matla coal-fired power station in Mpumalanga. (Photo: Waldo Swiegers / Bloomberg via Getty Images) | Power lines in the Imizamo Yethu informal settlement in Hout Bay, Cape Town. (Photo: Dwayne Senior / Bloomberg via Getty Images) | An instrument panel at the Eskom Lethabo coal-fired power station in Vereeniging. (Photo: Waldo Swiegers / Bloomberg via Getty Images) 