“Clickbait engineered by journalist”: De Ruyter says about Stage 15

Eskom CEO André de Ruyter says his comments about Stage 15 load shedding were taken ‘completely out of context’.

Sep 30, 2022 - 15:03
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“Clickbait engineered by journalist”: De Ruyter says about Stage 15

Eskom CEO André de Ruyter’s comments on Stage 15 load shedding caused quite an uproar online but he has now addressed the matter.

De Ruyter says the issue was mischievous clickbait engineered by a journalist

Speaking to 702fm, De Ruyter clarified that it was mischievous clickbait engineered by a journalist.

“This was a bit of mischievous clickbait engineered by a journalist,” said De Ruyter.

Going into detail De Ruyter explained what he said. The Eskom CEO stated that if the utility was forced to implement the minimum emission standards, that would require shutting down 16GW (gigawatts) of generation capacity. He added that this would force SA into Stage 15 load shedding.

Eskom CEO emphasises that his words were taken out of context

“The implication obviously is that I don’t think there’s a very good idea and that there are very good alternatives to implementing compliance with the minimum emission standards, and that would allow us to redirect the R300 billion that it would cost us to comply to rather build new generation capacity that does not pollute the air,” said De Ruyter.

The Eskom head emphasised that his comment was taken ‘completely out of context’ adding that it ‘no doubt, got lots of clicks”.

Matric finals incoming: Concerns mount over load shedding

Previously, it was reported that the ongoing load shedding, with no current end in sight, may negatively impact students’ preparation for matric exams. The KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Department of Education has raised concerns about the effect continuous load shedding could have.

MEC for Education in KZN, Kwazi Mthethwa told eNCA that the national minister engaged with Eskom some time this year to see if it could align the load shedding schedule with the exam timetable. 

Trial examinations for matriculants conclude on Friday, 30 September. Matric final exams are set to begin on Monday, 31 October. This will continue on to 7 December, starting with English and ending with Dramatic Arts. Read the full story here.