Economists argue that it is imperative for the government to do the math in terms of not only assessing the political cost of loadshedding but also its economic cost in terms of lower output, high unemployment and high rate of inflation. The cost of diverting gas from industry to the power sector also needs to be undertaken.
Unfortunately, however, there appears to be no confluence of thinking between the different relevant ministries and therefore one would hope that the Planning Commission, the government's think tank, urgently undertakes a cost and benefit analysis of reduced loadshedding on industrial output, readjusting expenditure priorities to make more funds available to eliminate the circular debt and a carefully prepared load shedding schedule.
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