JOHANNESBURG, March 11 (Xinhua) -- South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Monday that the partnership between government and business has made significant strides in addressing the electricity supply crisis and other challenges facing the country.
The partnership between the South African government and the private sector was established in June last year to tackle challenges including the electricity supply crisis, severe congestion in freight rail and port operations, and crime and corruption.
"Since the partnership began, the private sector has contributed more than 170 million rand (about 9.1 million U.S. dollars) of direct support and has mobilized over 350 technical experts. More than 130 CEOs of the country's leading companies have pledged their support," Ramaphosa said in his weekly newsletter.
The South African government has allowed the private sector to generate electricity for use and to sell it to Eskom, the country's power utility.
Since November 2023, load shedding is 61 percent lower than the same period a year ago, Ramaphosa said, adding that the improvement in electricity supply has been made possible by the impact of new generation capacity from rooftop solar and private sector investment.
In collaboration with various stakeholders, the government is working to increase electricity generation capacity from different sources by up to 10,600 MW by the end of this year, he said.
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