Play the cards right - David Lipschitz's Letter in the Cape Times on 1st December 2017

Much is being written about Eskom's failure and the reasons for it.

It is sobering to think that when Medupi coal power station was originally budgeted, it was forecasted to be complete by November 2015, and Kusile by April 2017. If this 9.6 GW was already on the grid, the fiscus would be earning R286 billion more per annum and another two million people would be employed. Instead of being "R50 billion under budget", as Minister Malusi Gigaba recently said, we would be R300 bn over-budget.

It is time for people to realise that you can tax the input side of the economy as much as you like, but it is the output side of the economy that will make you orders of magnitude more money in income, and also in savings due to not having to pay out so much unemployment benefit.

CNBC Interview on 23rd June 2015: David Lipschitz in the news

"National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) begins its public hearings into Eskom's 25.3 per cent tariff increase application for the 2015-16 financial year. To discuss this CNBC Africa is joined by David Lipschitz, energy analyst at My Power Station: Software, Energy, Power."

And the video is here. I was interviewed on CNBC Africa's Open Exchange Program, by Tumisho Grater.

And CNBC's article is here.

On Facebook. On Twitter. On Google+.

And on CNBC Africa's daily news feed here. Click on:

"ESKOM PLEADS FOR TARIFF HIKE, BIG BUSINESS WARNS OF JOB LOSSES"

Eskom's workers help push rand to new low

Our erstwhile politicians and Eskom's workers are pushing the Rand to new lows. Official unemployment is at 37.8%, our worst ever.

And the 2 million unemployed people who could have work if only Medupi and Kusile Coal Power Stations were online, like they should be, don't realise that they need to go to Lephalale (Ellisras) and tell Eskom's workers to do their jobs!

Oil price has increased from R743.38 per barrel on 30th May to R806.98 today. 8.5% higher.

Rand at 12.44 to the $
13.99 to the Euro
19.04 to the Pound

$ is high against Euro at 1.12, but it has been as low as 1.4, which would make the Rand Euro 17.42!!!