South African President cancels trip to World Economic Forum amid energy crisis

Cape Town: Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa cancelled his trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland over his home country experiencing an energy crisis and related public outcry.

He was supposed to head the South African group in Devos to pitch the country as an investment location. He will now attend a series of meetings being held to resolve the energy crisis, said Vincent Magwenya, the president’s spokesperson.

South Africa is currently seeing eight to eleven hours-long power cuts every day. Offices, hospitals, factories, and tens of thousands of small companies are being forced to close their operations. The blackouts are also causing an increase in crime rates, food waste, and traffic disruptions.

On Monday, protesters in Johannesburg blocked roads with burning tyres. A newspaper in the commercial capital ran the headline 'Unplugged' on its front page and listed local businesses that were struggling. "It’s time to hit the streets SA! Far too many citizens are barely able to keep their heads above water. This increase is like a government jackboot pushing more of us under the surface," tweeted John Steenhuisen, the leader of the centre-right Democratic Alliance.

The state-owned power company Eskom is to continue the blackouts until further notice. The company apologised but did not reveal when the national grid will be restored, reported The Guardian. Eskom is also likely to receive permission to raise the prices of energy by a third over the next two years.

Analysts think the energy crisis is due to corruption, lack of competent workers, and outdated primarily coal-fueled power plants. South Africa is trying to increase its electrical capacity by utilising renewable sources like wind and solar energy harnessing systems.