South Africa: Zuma hails electricity upgrades

10 June 2012

South African president Jacob Zuma has hailed the impact of recent infrastructure upgrades in helping to drive economic growth in the country.

In particular, Mr Zuma cited the Medupi power station as a project that has created new jobs and also made a significant difference to the country's energy supplies, southafrica.info reports.

This, by extension, has made a broadly positive impact on the South African economy, which the government is hoping will grow at an accelerated rate over the next few years.

"We might not satisfy every need on the same day, but we are getting there," the president explained. "We are doing the right thing with regards to infrastructure that will create enough jobs."

Mr Zuma added that even though electricity is a basic service, it remains fundamental to the South African economy and so the importance of the recent upgrades cannot be underestimated.

By 2030, it is expected that South Africa's energy demands will be twice the present level.

Category: Energy