• +86 18617118946
  • kerry@kmdpower.com
  • Building 4, Mashaxuda High-tech Industry Park, Shenzhen
Search
Close this search box.
  • Home
  • About
    • Factory Overview
    • Download
    • FAQs
    • Application
      • Commercial Energy Storage Cases
  • Blog
  • Product
    • Sodium ion Battery
    • Power Wall Battery
    • Golf Cart Battery
    • Lifepo4 Battery Pack
    • All In One Solar Power System
    • Server Rack battery
    • Stackble Battery
    • High Voltage Battery
    • Commercial Energy Storage Systems
  • Contact
  • en_USEN
    • de_DEDE
    • fr_FRFR
    • es_ESES
    • it_ITIT
    • hu_HUHU
    • arAR
    • cs_CZCS
    • da_DKDA
    • nl_NLNL
    • fiFI
    • id_IDID
    • jaJA
    • ko_KRKO
    • nb_NONO
    • pl_PLPL
    • pt_PTPT
    • ro_RORO
    • ru_RURU
    • sk_SKSK
    • sl_SISL
    • sv_SESV
    • ukUK
Menu
  • Home
  • About
    • Factory Overview
    • Download
    • FAQs
    • Application
      • Commercial Energy Storage Cases
  • Blog
  • Product
    • Sodium ion Battery
    • Power Wall Battery
    • Golf Cart Battery
    • Lifepo4 Battery Pack
    • All In One Solar Power System
    • Server Rack battery
    • Stackble Battery
    • High Voltage Battery
    • Commercial Energy Storage Systems
  • Contact
  • en_USEN
    • de_DEDE
    • fr_FRFR
    • es_ESES
    • it_ITIT
    • hu_HUHU
    • arAR
    • cs_CZCS
    • da_DKDA
    • nl_NLNL
    • fiFI
    • id_IDID
    • jaJA
    • ko_KRKO
    • nb_NONO
    • pl_PLPL
    • pt_PTPT
    • ro_RORO
    • ru_RURU
    • sk_SKSK
    • sl_SISL
    • sv_SESV
    • ukUK
Online Inquiry

Home - Product News - South Africa’ s energy crisis poses’ existential threat’ to its economy

South Africa’ s energy crisis poses’ existential threat’ to its economy

Table of Contents

  1. South Africa Declares National State of Disaster Over Energy Crisis
  2. Impact of Power Shortages on Economy and Daily Life
  3. Government’s Response and Eskom’s Struggles

 

South Africa Declares National State of Disaster Over Energy Crisis

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared a national state of disaster in response to the country’s drawn-out energy crisis, calling it “an existential threat” to Africa’s most developed economy.

Setting out the government’s key objectives for the year in a state of the nation address Thursday, Ramaphosa said the crisis is “an existential threat to the economy and the social fabric of our country” and that “our most immediate priority is to restore energy security.”

Impact of Power Shortages on Economy and Daily Life

South Africans have endured power cuts for years, but 2022 saw more than twice as many blackouts as any other year, as aging coal-fired power plants broke down and state-owned power utility Eskom struggled to find the money to buy diesel for emergency generators.

Blackouts in South Africa — or load-shedding as they’re known locally — have been lasting for as long as 12 hours a day. Last month, people were even advised to bury the dead within four days after the South African Funeral Practitioners Association warned that mortuary bodies were decomposing because of the constant electricity outages.

Growth is plunging
The intermittent power supply is hobbling small businesses and jeopardizing economic growth and jobs in a country where the unemployment rate already stands at 33%.

South Africa’s GDP growth is likely to more than halve this year to 1.2%, the International Monetary Fund has forecast, citing power shortages alongside weaker external demand and “structural constraints.”

Businesses in South Africa have had to resort to torches and other sources of light during frequent power outages.

Government’s Response and Eskom’s Struggles

Ramaphosa said Thursday that the national state of disaster would begin with immediate effect. That would allow the government “to provide practical measures to support businesses,” and ringfence power supply for critical infrastructure, such as hospitals and water treatment plants, he added.

Ramaphosa, who was forced to cancel a trip to the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January as a result of the rolling blackouts, also said he would appoint a minister of electricity with “full responsibility for overseeing all aspects of electricity response.”

In addition, the president unveiled anti-corruption measures Thursday “to guard against any abuses of funds needed to attend to this disaster,” and a dedicated South African police service team to “deal with the pervasive corruption and theft at several power stations.”

The vast majority of South Africa’s electricity is supplied by Eskom via a fleet of coal-fired power stations that have been overused and under-maintained for years. Eskom has very little backup power, which makes it difficult to take units offline to perform crucial maintenance work.

The utility has lost money for years and, despite steep tariff increases for customers, still relies on government bailouts to remain solvent. Years of mismanagement and systematic corruption are believed to be the key reasons why Eskom has been unable to keep the lights on.

A wide-ranging commission of inquiry led by Judge Raymond Zondo into corruption and fraud in the public sector in South Africa concluded that members of Eskom’s former board should face criminal prosecution due to management failures and a “culture of corrupt practices.”

Kamada Power Hot Battery Products

  • Kamada Power 12V 200Ah LiFePO4 Battery

    Read moreContinue Loading Done
  • Kamada Power 12V 200Ah Sodium ion Battery

    Read moreContinue Loading Done
  • 48V 200ah 10Kwh Home Energy Storage Lifepo4 Battery

    Read moreContinue Loading Done
  • 10kWh Battery Power wall Home Battery Storage

    Read moreContinue Loading Done

Comments

More Blogs

Learn more knowledge and trends in lithium battery industry from our blog.

Low Car Battery Voltage Meaning, Voltage Range and Check

June 3, 2025 No Comments

Introduction If your car won’t start and your multimeter shows anything below 12.4V, don’t panic—but don’t ignore it either. This guide explains what that number means, which voltage ranges are safe, and how to test your car battery correctly. What Does Low Car Battery Voltage Mean? Voltage (12V Battery) Battery Condition 12.6 – 12.8 V

Read More »

What Does a Battery Load Test Determine?

June 3, 2025 No Comments

Introduction Most batteries might show a healthy voltage reading but fail when the actual demand arises. Imagine a delivery truck that starts fine in the morning but stalls halfway through its route — a simple voltage check wouldn’t have predicted that failure. Just like a heart monitor that only shows a resting heartbeat without detecting

Read More »

What Happens If Battery Voltage Is Too High?

June 2, 2025 No Comments

Introduction Let me start with a confession: I’ve fried more batteries than I’d care to admit. From early lab prototypes in the ’90s to high-voltage systems in solar farms, I’ve watched lithium cells bubble, NiMH packs swell, and lead-acids hiss like angry kettles—all because of one deceptively simple variable: voltage. Battery voltage isn’t just a number

Read More »
kamada power logo

We provide high-quality and cost-effective customized lithium-ion and sodium ion battery solutions. 15 years of experience in battery design, research and development, and manufacturing.sodium battery manufacturer

Battery Products

  • Sodium ion Battery
  • Power Wall Battery
  • Golf Cart Battery
  • Lifepo4 Battery Pack
  • All In One Solar Power System
  • Server Rack battery
  • Stackble Battery
  • High Voltage Battery
  • Commercial Energy Storage Systems

About Kamada Power

  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact

Contact Us

  • Tel: +86 18617118946
  • Email: kerry@kmdpower.com
  • Building 4, Mashaxuda High-tech Industry Park, Pingdi Street, Longgang District 518117, Shenzhen, Guangdong, P.R. China.

©2010-2025 Shenzhen Kamada Electronic Co.,Ltd, Kamada Power All Rights Reserved.