Johannesburg - South Africa continues to be dogged by the electricity crisis more than six weeks after the appointment of the Minister of Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa.
It is reported that the electricity issue will be among the top items on the ANC NEC meeting agenda taking place at Boksburg’s Birchwood Hotel this weekend.
According to the SABC, Dr Ramokgopa has reportedly drafted an electricity action plan aimed at reducing the severity of rolling blackouts as the country teeters between Stage 6 and Stage 4 for load shedding.
Media reports suggest that the minister has already presented his plan to the Cabinet and the ruling ANC National Working Committee (NWC).
“The outlook looks really bleak because demand is going to increase exponentially. The grid continues to be unreliable and that’s the question that requires our attention. But we have factored all of those in the proposal that we are making. So that we ensure that this winter it doesn’t become as worse as it appears to be, now before the interventions of what we will be proposing,” the minister told SABC News.
Speaking to The Star, professor Boitumelo Senokoane said conflicts between the minister of electricity and that of energy, minister Gwede Mantashe will further complicate matters as the country experiences stages 6 and 4 power cuts.
“There has been reports of conflicts between the ministries of Minerals and Energy; and Electricity or between the President and Minister Mantashe regarding shifting certain responsibilities to the new ministry. Before this is resolved, we might experience stagnation due to these conflicts. However, the new Minister has been in excursion. The idea is to diagnose the problem with recommendations and eventually solving the problem,“ professor Senokoane said.
Senokoane said it is still early to measure the work being done by the new minister of electricity, saying he must be given time to familiarise himself with his role.
“The minister has really not performed and perhaps it's too early to expect anything from him except briefings and consultations. The biggest challenge for him is to start with practical solutions and implementing clear programmes taking darkness away. The Minister has a year to stabilise and three years to take away the problem,” he said.
Load shedding has been affecting big and small businesses in different ways, and according to the DA, load shedding has contributed to more than 600 000 job losses in the past year, with professor Senokoane saying small and big businesses were suffering as a result of load shedding.
“Load shedding impacts on the normal business operations. It affects employment and job creation. For an example, payment or remuneration might be cancelled or suspended during load shedding. Power supply is critical for the bloodline of the economy. Working shifts are normally affected as working hours are affected,” he said.