In December, the government deployed the army to six Eskom power stations where it said criminal syndicates operated. Last month Eskom said police were investigating the alleged poisoning of its outgoing chief executive Andre de Ruyter, who has tried to clamp down on corruption. SCEPTICISM ABOUT RENEWABLES A programme adding private, utility-scale renewable energy projects to the grid was frozen for years under Zuma. And despite pledges by Ramaphosa to cut red tape and boost supply of renewable energy from independent power producers, the country is still mostly reliant on Eskom's coal fleet. Some union leaders and prominent members of Ramaphosa's governing African National Congress (ANC) have remained sceptical of embracing renewable energy, fearing massive job losses in the country's coal belt. ANC chairman Gwede Mantashe, mining and energy minister in Ramaphosa's cabinet, had a public spat in 2021 with Eskom's de Ruyter over the shift to cleaner energy sources, likening it to committing "economic suicide". FINANCIAL WOES Eskom is mired in financial crisis with debt of roughly 400 billion rand ($22.66 billion) that it cannot service without government bailouts.
It is owed tens of billions of rands by municipalities and says the country's energy regulator has failed to grant it tariffs that would allow it to recover its costs. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana is expected to announce a plan for the government to take on between one-third and two-thirds of Eskom's debt at the 2023 budget later this month, part of efforts to stabilise its finances. ($1 = 17.6486 rand) <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ South Africa's consumer goods firms warn of much higher prices as power cuts bite South Africa's Eskom says worst power cuts over for now but urges less use ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Reporting by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo Additional reporting by Kopano Gumbi; Editing by Alexander Winning and Frances Kerry)
