JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa wants to talk to independent power producers (IPPs) about lowering the price Eskom pays for electricity from older renewable energy projects, a senior minister told Reuters, as the state utility struggles to emerge from a financial crisis.

Johannesburg - Opposition party the DA on Sunday unveiled a new election billboard on Sunday, this time taking a swipe at the ANC over ongoing crisis at Eskom.

"The fact that Eskom continues to leave our citizens in the dark is further proof that the failing ANC is completely incapable of fixing the challenges at the ailing utility.

He said Ramaphosa’s announcement during his state of the nation address that Eskom would be broken up into three separate entities was not enough because the entities were going to be left in the hands of the state.

A stable, competitive and affordable electricity sector can become reality, says the Democratic Alliance, which proclaims it knows how to fix South Africa's Eskom.

Former Eskom Acting CEO Matshela Koko.

This is the colossal amount that experts say Finance Minister Tito Mboweni must dish out to Eskom in his Budget on Wednesday to keep the country’s lights on.

RON DERBY: What Woolworths and Eskom can teach us about keeping our heads Many corporations have blown shareholders’ money following what in hindsight clearly were weak strategies in developed climes

He too believed that his removal was due to his refusal to bow to pressure, and cited incidents where Ajay, Duduzane and then Eskom chair Ben Ngubane, threatened to report his lack of interest to the former president, inferring that their conduct had his blessing.

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