Pretoria - As South Africa prepares to celebrate Youth Day this week, Eskom has empowered youth by unveiling state-of-the-art equipment for the electrical engineering centre of the Vhembe Further Education and Training College.
The contribution to the college situated in Thohoyandou, Limpopo was made on Monday.
“This contribution not only demonstrates Eskom’s commitment to the empowerment of youth, but also goes a long way in addressing the on-going issue of unemployment and the shortage of specialised skills in the country,” Public Enterprises Minister Malusi Gigaba said.
The unveiling happened at a time when the country celebrates youth month.
“This commitment is in line with government’s objective to create an enabling environment for all FET colleges in the country in order for them to deliver quality education,” said Gigaba.
The contribution in the short term will benefit the college’s 874 electrical engineering learners, comprising 397 males and 477 females.
“The unveiling of this centre, just a few days before we commemorate national Youth Day [on 16 June], is just one of many ways in which Eskom makes a difference in the communities in which it operates.
As a state-owned company, our performance is also measured by the overall value that we add to the lives of the public. Eskom’s developmental mandate is about creating a foundation on which South Africa can grow, helping to transform the lives of the large percentage of the population that lives in poverty,” Eskom chairman Zola Tsotsi said.
Chief Executive Officer and Principal at Vhembe FET College Dr. JG Tshifularo expressed happiness at the donation.
“We are extremely happy as Vhembe FET College to receive this massive donation of electrical engineering equipment from Eskom. This will surely impact positively in our teaching and learning activities as our core business, and will help us in the improvement of our results, thereby producing more artisans and electrical engineers in our country,” said Tshifularo.
The unveiling formed part of activities planned to commemorate Eskom’s 90 years of existence and of giving back to the communities in which it operates. A series of activities have been lined up to mark the anniversary. Activities to mark this will be held until March 2014.
Highlighting the parastatal’s journey leading up to the 90th anniversary, Gigaba said that despite the tight power system, the power utility has managed to keep the lights on and has done so during summer and winter.
“This winter will be different as Eskom will have to perform planned maintenance during the coldest months. The system will be extremely tight between now and July 2013,” said Gigaba, adding that maintenance could no longer be deferred as this could have “severe consequences.”
There is sufficient capacity to meet demand for electricity for most of the day.
“Our concern is the evening peak demand between 5pm and 9pm. I would like to urge all of us to use electricity efficiently, especially during the evening peak period," said Gigaba. - SAnews.gov.za
