Mbalula’s Talk on Energy Crisis Cut Short by Loadshedding, Video Has Peeps Screaming: “You Can’t Make This Up”

• The African National Congress has once again become a laughingstock because of loadshedding
• The party's Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula was speaking at the ANC's emergency energy dialogue when rolling blackouts hit
• South Africans took joy in the embarrassing moment and flooded social media with jokes about the ANC's incompetence

JOHANNESBURG - Loadshedding is turning the African National Congress into the bud of every South African citizen's joke and the ruling party's emergency energy dialogue only added fuel to the fire.

While the ANC's newly elected Secretary-General was addressing members of the public on the country's energy woes, the dialogue was struck by loadshedding in a twist of irony.

Social media user @WatersMichael67 posted the video of the embarrassing moment Mbalula was thrust into darkness. Only moments before the lights went out, the ANC SG was seemingly throwing shade at the Democratic Alliance for taking to the streets to protest the energy crisis.

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In true South African fashion, netizens were quick to pile on the jokes, with one social media user reminiscing about how the same thing once happened to President Cyril Ramaphosa while he was making an address.

Analyst slams ANC's emergency energy dialogue as nothing but a front

While the ruling party intended the energy dialogue to be a platform for solutions to persistent loadshedding, the ANC-led event has been viewed as a waste of time.

Political analyst Asanda Ngoasheng slammed the governing party for holding yet another dialogue instead of developing real solutions to a national crisis, SABC News reported.

Ngoasheng said:

"In fact I would be very upset if the government was canvassing for my opinions 20 years after the problem they’ve known about and done nothing about it.”

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Fikile Mbalula says the ANC wants to fix South Africa's energy crisis

South Africans take aim at ANC after loadshedding energy dialogue

South Africans took to the comment section of the video and flooded it with jokes and ridicule.

Below are some comments:

@4KobusWiese marvelled:

"You are right, you can't make this circus up!"

@Shimza33 laughed:

"Hahahahaha, they didn't check the app to save themselves from this embarrassment"

@hellomistersean speculated:

"I’m pretty convinced this whole thing would be over quickly if they banned and generators or batteries at all MPs' houses."

@son_of_slash rejoiced:

"At least the power going off shut him up. Thanks to the Eskom guy that hit the button at the best possible time."

@Tumi_88 joked:

"Please share some LIGHT on this @Eskom_SA issue @MbalulaFikile."

South Africa, Zimbabwe and 3 other African countries experiencing electricity crises and loadshedding

In a related story, Briefly News earlier reported that South Africa has been experiencing a series of constant rolling blackouts for the past few years. While loadshedding may have become a norm in the country, Mzansi is not the only African country experiencing an energy crisis.

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Steenhuizen criticises ANC leaders for leading country to energy crisis, SA reacts: "Need things to change"

The struggle to keep the lights on is not unique to South Africa and can be described as a Cape to Lagos problem. According to the Mail & Guardian, countries such as South Africa, Libya and Zimbabwe had notable planned power cuts in 2022.

Briefly News takes a look at other African countries experiencing their version of loadshedding and electricity problems.

Source: Briefly News