Eskom

I am an electrical engineer (retired) and therefore share the concerns of our Eskom chief. Being a State-Owned Enterprise (SOE), his charge has a problem in that cash is not always forthcoming, in fact rarely. He can do a lot with cash as maintaining whilst building a better power supply will keep the entire country happy and hopefully become more prosperous. Reading about these Dream Cities (Smart Cities) one wonders why the government is even contemplating or thinking about these ideas. These pie-in-the-sky smart cities with the tag post-apartheid make one realize that their thinking is totally in the wrong direction at present. Yes, we want to keep up with technology and be in the techno-world but the average South African citizen of whatever race is never likely to see them much less live in them at 25 years in the making. A 'Smart' city would cost far more than a few thousand megawatts. The country and population presently as a whole will not and probably never benefit from a 'Smart City' whereas the entire country will benefit from an adequate and stable power supply. The President asks "buy South African" but from where and whom? Many businesses have stopped manufacturing and sold or s****ped machines as the product is cheaper imported if not always as good. Starting again from scratch is no joke, is more expensive today and requires expertise. New businesses also require new power but from where? Smart cities will use less power than a city built in bygone eras true, but at considerable cost. If the funds exist for these dream projects to even get on the drawing board and to the shopping list. Why not get this shopping list order correct. Leave off the unessential items for the time being they can always be added later.