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16 September 2008

Deputy President, Ms Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, on Tuesday announced that government will dedicate a day in November to replace, at least, 10 million incandescent (high energy consuming) light bulbs with about 10 million compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) (energy saving light bulbs) throughout the country. Further announcements in this regard will be made later.

In a statement issued immediately after the meeting of the Stakeholder Advisory Council (on electricity), the Deputy President said, "South Africans do not realise that we are not out of the woods yet insofar as the electricity crisis is concerned. Unless we save energy, we run the risk of experiencing a situation not dissimilar to the one we were confronted with last summer."

The Stakeholder Advisory Council is a body comprising labour, government, business as well as community representatives. It met at the Union Buildings earlier this morning.

"The meeting was concerned that, with the summer season currently in the air, most people do not realise the extent to which air conditioning in our homes, commercial enterprises as well as in the hospitality industry, coupled with guzzlers such as geysers and swimming pool pumps have a devastating effect on the electricity consumption in our country," she said.

Finally, the she urged all South Africans to develop an energy saving consciousness and resilience not different to the one they displayed during the struggle against apartheid. Government has set a target of 10% electricity saving (3 000 MW), and the current saving is 1 000 MW.

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Issued by: The Presidency
16 September 2008