South African President Ramaphosa declares state of emergency over energy crisis

There are also planned blackouts to ration power. Part of the population has to go without electricity for up to ten hours a day. According to Ramaphosa, essential sectors such as hospitals or water treatment plants will be exempt from those blackouts.

In addition, the government intends to purchase additional power from neighboring countries in the event of power shortages.

South Africa’s energy infrastructure is outdated and poorly maintained. The state-owned Eskom, which is responsible for 95 percent of electricity supply, has been accused of corruption and mismanagement. Eskom has about 21 billion euros in debt.