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Struck by an unending power crunch that’s stifling the economy, South Africa, which received assistance from its largest trading partner, China, is roping in other members of the Brics bloc to help resolve the load-shedding crisis.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 15th annual Brics Summit on Wednesday, Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said although talks between Brics countries have not progressed hugely, the country has tapped its bloc partners in a bid to reduce the intensity of load shedding and ultimately end it.
“We are talking to all the member Bric countries … Those conversations have not matured … [but] we are fairly confident about achieving that which we want to achieve … working with the Brics partners,” he said.
His comments followed the signing of a Joint Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) with eight Chinese entities, which South Africa hopes will advance its energy security.
China also donated emergency power equipment worth R167 million and provided a grant to the tune of R500 million as development assistance.
Ramakgopa said the bulk of the equipment is already en route to South Africa, and is expected to arrive by Sunday.
It includes gas generators, diesel generators, mobile power units, photovoltaic (PV) equipment, and battery storage units ranging from 6 kilowatts (kW) to 200kW.
“We were only able to conclude with the Chinese because there is a firm agreement, and once there are other firm agreements with other partners, we’ll be able to make it public. But for us, we have been able to derive tangible benefits,” Ramokgopa said.
“We are very confident about the solutions that the Chinese have offered. We have already concluded the technical assessment; they meet all of our requirements.”
He said the equipment will assist in providing energy to hospitals and clinics, particularly in far-flung rural areas.
Speaking about the support China is providing to South Africa, independent economist Professor Bonke Dumisa questioned the purpose of the donation, suggesting that it is ‘just business’ for the Asian nation.
“It is a fact that [in] a number of African countries, China has actually taken over some of the essential infrastructure, such as airports and even electricity, where they said they were offering or assisting [with] infrastructural development. And when those countries fail to deliver on those payments … they [the Chinese] take over,” Dumisa said.
“They say you must not look a gift horse in the mouth,” he said, but questioned whether the donation is a ‘Trojan horse’, which gains entry by deception and “typically secretly overthrows” the host city (in the case of Troy) or nation.
But President Cyril Ramaphosa regards China – which South Africa has shared diplomatic relations with for 25 years – as a valued friend of the country.
In his opening remarks during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the Union Buildings earlier this week, Ramaphosa expressed appreciation for China’s support in addressing the country’s energy woes.
“Energy cooperation with China is a recent development that we look to deepen, particularly in line with our respective commitments to low-carbon, climate-resilient development,” he added.
Bilateral trade between the two countries has grown from less than R1 billion 24 years ago to more than R614 billion in 2022. – Moneyweb
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