Minister of Electricity President Cyril Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared a national state of disaster in response to the electricity crisis in his State on the Nation Address. Image: GCIS.

Wait, what!? Ramaphosa to appoint a Minister of Electricity

Don’t we have enough already? President Cyril Ramaphosa will appoint a Minister of Electricity in the Presidency. What does the job entail?

Minister of Electricity President Cyril Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared a national state of disaster in response to the electricity crisis in his State on the Nation Address. Image: GCIS.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has revealed that he will appoint a Minister of Electricity in the Presidency to deal with the ongoing crisis.

Ramaphosa revealed this on Thursday, 9 February as he delivered the State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the Cape Town City Hall.

WHAT IS THE JOB OF A MINISTER OF ELECTRICITY?

On Thursday, Ramaphosa revealed that government will implement a National State of Disaster to tackle the energy crisis with immediate effect, to prevent “the possible progression to a total blackout occurring and it has already been gazetted by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Minister, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

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“To deal more effectively and urgently with the challenges that confront us, I will appoint a Minister of Electricity in the Presidency to assume full responsibility for overseeing all aspects of the electricity crisis response, including the work of the National Energy Crisis Committee.

“The Minister will focus full-time and work with the Eskom board and management on ending load shedding and ensuring that the Energy Action Plan is implemented without delay. So as to remove any confusion, the Minister of Public Enterprises will remain the shareholder representative of Eskom and steer the restructuring of Eskom, ensure the establishment of the transmission company, oversee the implementation of the just energy transition programme, and oversee the establishment of the SOE Holding Company.”

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Furthermore, Ramaphosa said the appointment of a Minister of Electricity in the Presidency is necessary because an effective response to the crisis involves several different departments and entities that require coordination from the centre of government.

“We will be including other social partners in an effective structure similar to the one we set up to drive the vaccine rollout,” he added.

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