Page 8 - AfrElec Week 11 2023

AfrElec POLICY AfrElec

South Africa’s new electricity minister

unready to say when chronic power

outages may end

SOUTH AFRICA SOUTH Africa’s newly appointed Electricity going to be realistic,” the minister stated. “Some
Minister, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has declined of things I will be saying to the general public will
to predict when crippling power outages, known be unpalatable. I am sure everyone listening to
as load shedding, may end. you wants me to say ‘on X date load shedding will
IN an interview with SABC on Thursday (March be done’. I am saying give me an opportunity …
9), he confirmed that the government would be we will come back to you.”
ambitious in its plans to stop load shedding, but Ramokgopa also refused to be drawn into South Africa
was not yet ready to say when that is expected what he called “that political conversation” on
to happen. the necessity for his ministry. “I already had experienced
“Load shedding, and I want to emphasise that conversation with my peers, and there is an
[this] on national TV, we are going to resolve it… appreciation that there must be a singular laser over 200 days
[but] it is highly irresponsible to just shoot from focus on the resolution of this problem,” he was
the hip and say this date, that date,” Ramokgopa quoted by News24 as saying. of rolling power
said. Commenting on alleged entrenched corrup- cuts last year,
South Africa experienced over 200 days of tion at state power utility Eskom, Ramokgopa
rolling power cuts last year, and a continuous said he “neither has the capacity nor the mandate and a continuous
stretch of 68 days this year so far, according to to address the issues of corruption” but would
local media outlet News24. In January, Mineral rely on law enforcement agencies to deal with it. stretch of 68
Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Man- “I can’t speak of corruption in aggregate terms
tashe and Finance Minister Enoch Gondong- … I am sure this corruption has multiple mani- days this year so
wana announced an end to load shedding within festations when you move from one plant to the far.
the next 6 – 18 months. other, manifestations across the value chain and
Ramokgopa, however, refused to set a time- it takes different forms,” the minister told SABC.
frame on ending the crippling power outages “So, I can’t sit here and say there is corruption,
and said he would come back to “the people of because the last thing I want to do is to come into
the country” with an answer after working with this space and when I go to the plants, accuse
Cabinet ministers, municipalities and business, the many hard-working, professional, com-
writes News24. mitted patriots that are working for Eskom,” he
“We are going to be ambitious, [but] we are added.™

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