Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokopa has taken a jab at the Multi-Party Charter (MPC) over their comments that he was not working to end load shedding. Picture: X/ANC
Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokopa has taken a jab at the Multi-Party Charter (MPC) over their comments that he was not working to end load shedding.
“When the president, Cyril Ramaphosa introduced the ministry, he made a point that we needed to focus attention on the execution and prosecution of the energy action plan that he had unveiled to the country in July 2022,” he said, adding that that has been his mission since taking office.
In the ANC's consideration, Ramokgopa said this was not a permanent solution to the energy crisis.
He said that there was nothing new coming from the MPC’s plan to end load shedding.
"There's nothing new, there's a discovery that was made yesterday," he said, taking a swipe at the DA-led pact.
Ramokgopa made the remarks during a media briefing that was held at the party’s headquarters, Luthuli House in Johannesburg on Thursday.
The briefing was aimed at unpacking Priorities 1 and 2 of their election manifesto which spoke about job creation and economy transformation.
On Wednesday, the Charter presented its plan to create a competitive and open energy market that will end load shedding and improve Eskom’s performance.
The MPC had said there was an urgent need in 2024 for the electorate to remove a failed government and hand the reins to a leadership with the skills, political will, and integrity to end rolling blackouts and increase sustainable energy development.
Ramokgopa said since March 2023, 3,500MW in additional energy has been added to the national grid and there has been a priority on maintenance and performance of six Eskom power stations.
He said there was an increased private sector and household investments in renewables.
“There is increased investment in expanding transmission infrastructures to provide for new generation to be added to the grid,” he said.
Minister of Human Settlements, Mamoloko Kubayi, who was also part of the briefing, defended Ramokgopa, saying he was doing a great job.
“Those who are saying he has not done a good job, are just doing a disservice to this country and the work that he has done,” she said.
Kubayi said there was a point where there was a lack of communication and information to citizens and also even to have a reliable systematic way of knowing when load shedding was.
“Regular communication is there, we know what needs to be done and when it is to be done. We interact with him as the sub-committee regularly,” she said.
She added that the role of the minister should not be underplayed.
Part of the MPC’s specific plans to end rolling blackouts included:
- Facilitating and encouraging the wheeling of power between distributed generators and customers through transmission and distribution grids by approving standard wheeling tariffs.
- Investing heavily in maintaining and upgrading grid infrastructure.
- Establishing a competitive electricity supply market where multiple electricity producers can compete on an open platform.
- Expediting the unbundling process of Eskom to produce a separate transmission company, which will be a stand-alone grid and market operator.
kamogelo.moichela@inl.co.za
IOL Politics