Thursday, 21 May 2026: The threat issued by Eskom to cut electricity supply in the City of Johannesburg on the basis of the city’s debt to Eskom is not only unreasonable but also reveals the shortsightedness of Eskom’s leadership and the punitive mentality of the government department responsible for Eskom.
The South African Communist Party (SACP) unequivocally condemns the threat as an unconscionable act. This decision reflects a mentality that holds the citizens of Johannesburg collectively responsible for an energy crisis primarily attributable to poor management; poor planning and management of the energy infrastructure by local government; poor maintenance regimes for energy facilities; corruption and outsourcing; cable theft and other criminal activities; as well as the destructive effects of austerity and neoliberal policies in local and national government.
Eskom’s response to the city’s debt reflects a perspective typical of neoliberal government structures in South Africa, which often attribute blame to the populace for capitalist failures while crediting the bourgeoisie for any positive outcomes. If implemented, it would effectively deepen austerity measures and worsen the socioeconomic situation for the people, the working class in particular.
The energy crisis in South Africa as a whole and the City of Johannesburg in particular is clearly a multilayered and nuanced crisis that cannot be solved by a single swipe to switch off the lights in the whole city. This simplistic approach is unfortunate and regrettable. If such a perspective finds expression in the corridors of decision-makers at Eskom, we have much more reason to be concerned than we have ever thought possible as citizens of the Republic and as a progressive movement.
The energy market has undergone a gradual diversification over time, particularly since the onset of the load shedding pandemic. This diversification has primarily benefited privileged sections of society, while the working class has been largely left behind and remains heavily reliant on Eskom as its energy provider. Against that backdrop, this punitive shortcut by Eskom practically guarantees that the working class will be the primary victims of this operation while the middle strata and upper classes may have alternative energy sources. This action is not technical balance sheet management by the national energy company, as some liberals may argue, but a political act whose outcomes determine the winners and losers in a society where the working class is already in a decidedly disadvantaged position.
Working-class communities are already subjected to blackouts reminiscent of load shedding in the name of “load reduction”. Additional disruptions will exacerbate this crisis. The structural energy crisis cannot be resolved by abrupt and illogical measures such as the mooted power cuts. As the SACP, we reject such measures and call for a more comprehensive plan that takes into consideration the varied and complex nature of the energy crisis as well as its class articulation in a society as unequal as ours.
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