Minister of Electricity, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa. Image: X/@GovernmentZA.
Is blaming individuals for load shedding fair? Ramokgopa argues otherwise
Ramokgopa asserts blaming individuals for load shedding is unjust, emphasising a broader perspective to address systemic issues.
Minister of Electricity, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa. Image: X/@GovernmentZA.
Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa told MPs on Wednesday, 15 November 2023, that no individual should be singled out for the load shedding crisis.
“The suggestions that the challenges of load shedding only start now, I think, is a misrepresentation. They stretch back to 1997, and some of the choices that we have made have caught up with us,” said Ramokgopa.
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Ramokgopa emphasised during the briefing to the public enterprises committee, his first since assuming office in March, that his primary task is to resolve the persistent problem that South Africans are facing.
Ramokgopa said load shedding might seize when?
In response to questions about when load shedding might cease, he reflected on the challenges inherited upon his appointment.
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“The suggestions that the challenges of load shedding only start now, I think, is a misrepresentation,” said the Minister of Electricity.
The minister dismissed claims linking load shedding to specific ministerial appointments, including that of Pravin Gordhan, stating, “And I don’t think it’s appropriate to say that load shedding coincides with the appointment of certain members of the executive.”
ALSO READ: Ramokgopa: ‘Power cuts cost SA economy R1 billion a day’
Eskom grid would not be sold to the private sector
Regarding concerns about privatization, Ramokgopa assured MPs that the Eskom grid would not be sold to the private sector.
However, he acknowledged the necessity for a substantial R390 billion investment in the company’s transmission infrastructure, noting, “But I don’t think it’s appropriate to say that load shedding coincides with the appointment of certain members of the executive.”
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