Load shedding as a result of failures at the political-technological interface

Electricity ‘load shedding’ is not new to South Africa. When demand exceeds supply, distributors have little choice but to restrict use. Limited ability to meet the rapid growth in demand from the gold mining industry after World War II saw supplies rationed. Along with other users, the mining industry was again hit hard by rolling power cuts in early 2008. However, South Africa’s current inability to generate sufficient electricity to meet the needs of its people and economy can be attributed to a set of poor decisions (and, indecisions) dating from the 1994 political transition. This is not to say that the current load shedding is the consequence of the transition to non-racial democracy. The argument focuses rather on the nature of that transition. Specifically, it considers the relationship between an existing, inherently technological, public institution and the new political institutions which positioned themselves as the leaders of a developmental state. In particular, there was a failure to coordinate the parallel transitions of the country’s political institutions and of Eskom, its largest public enterprise. This experience also highlights future risks if a coherent national strategy for energy transition is not established.