Another headache for Eskom

Eskom said it will take 900 trucks to get the 45 million tonnes of extra coal the utility needs over the next two years to exlusively feed its power stations in coal-rich Mpumalanga, which has some of the country's worst roads.

The quality of the coal and getting it to Eskom's coal-fed power stations, which are concentrated in Mpumalanga, are among Eskom's biggest worries in the power crisis.

"Most of our additional coal will be trucked which means unfortunately road transport and that's a big factor, with the damage on the road," Eskom spokesperson Andrew Etzinger said.

"It's logistically challenging, particularly in bad weather when the roads are wet. This is not a simple exercise. It means another 900 trucks on the road in Mpumalanga which is a huge amount."

Provincial roads have suffered the same fate as Eskom, experts say, in which years of underinvestment culminated in widespread supply shortages in January, shutting the mines in Africa's largest economy and slashing coal exports.

"Exactly what is happening in Eskom is happening in the roads," Malcolm Mitchell, executive director of the South African Road Federation, an association of road-sector professionals, told Reuters.

"Just as the problems in our electricity supply are causing economic havoc within our country, so too our rapidly deteriorating provincial and municipal road network will have severe consequences for our economic and social life."

South African roads are riddled with potholes, rutted and slippery surfaces and suffer a lack of roadside maintenance, Mitchell said.

Rule of thumb

Worldwide a rule of thumb for measuring the competence of road authorities is the time taken to repair potholes, with 48 hours a norm for rural roads, and 12 for freeways and motorways.

"In South Africa potholes often are not attended to for up to six months," Mitchell said.

The last comprehensive survey of provincial roads was carried out eight years ago, when the figure for roads falling into the "poor and very poor category" ranged from 8% for the Western Cape, the only province to meet generally recognised acceptable standards, to 62% in the worst.

"It is generally accepted that not more than 10% of the network should fall into the "poor and very poor" categories," Mitchell said.

"Perhaps it's not as dramatic as your lights getting turned off, but now you can't go from one place to another."

The national roads department was not immediately available to comment, but the provincial department in Mpumalanga said it was aware of Eskom's concerns about the state of the roads as a result of heavy trucking and insufficient investment.

In an emailed response to questions, it said it was working with Eskom to improve the roads, particularly on the critical routes from coal mines to power plants.

It said it would need R3bn within the next three to five years to upgrade the coal haulage network. "So far, the department is currently sourcing such funds," it said, adding Eskom had pledged R550m.

South Africa's coal fields are concentrated in Mpumalanga, where Eskom has most of its coal-fired plants.

All in Mpumalanga are linked to specific coal mines, except Majuba, one of its biggest power stations, and Eskom is hoping to build a rail link from the mines to the power plant.