05 July 2022

MTN South Africa is seeking to partner with local small and medium-sized enterprises with at least two generators to become its "potential suppliers", as it battles against the country's current power shortage. 

As part of the collaboration, suppliers will be subject to streamlined governance and procurement protocols. Generators must meet a number of requirements, including a capacity of 40 kVA, gasoline or diesel; a tank capacity of at least 100 litres; a maximum noise level of 65 decibels (dB); a minimum cable run of 10 metres; and a DIN 16 plug.

It is due to protests by workers at Eskom, the national power utility, after wage negotiations failed. The state-owned company said it was forced to carry out level four and six load shedding at certain times of the day to avoid a complete grid shutdown.

"To mitigate the risks, we have launched several emergency initiatives to ensure greater network resilience, despite the obstacles," said Michele Gamberini, chief technology and information officer at MTN SA. "We want to assure our customers that we are doing everything in our power to maintain connectivity during this difficult period."

The current electricity supply crisis in the rainbow nation is its worst since December 2019.