South Africa Receives 450 Generators From China

South Africa’s (SA) Electricity Minister, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, will formally receive 450 gasoline generators from China today, 30 November, in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal.

The generators will be the first consignment of a generous donation of energy equipment as part of the Technical Assistance Programme, which has been established between the two countries.

The agreement – which was reached when Xi Jinping, President of China, visited SA in August this year during the BRICS summit – will include a pledge for equipment worth R167 million rand, and a development grant of R500 million.

As SA is frequently plagued with energy issues – which are brought about by mismanagement of resources and insufficient planning amongst a variety of other complex reasons – the donation will be welcomed by many people.

South Africans can spend up to 10 hours without electricity in spates called “load shedding” in an attempt to reduce the pressure on the country’s service provider, Eskom.

Speaking to an international publication Tuesday, 28 November, the South African presidency made it clear that it already had plans for the equipment: “The generators will be used as backup to alleviate the impacts of load shedding in the delivery of services in clinics, schools and courts.”

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