Electricity Minister Says Loadshedding Reduction Has Nothing to Do With Shutdown, Mzansi Annoyed

• Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said the reduction of loadshedding had nothing to do with the shutdown
• Ramokgopa said the decision to suspend loadshedding was due to an improvement in generation capacity
• Many social media users were annoyed with the minister’s remarks, with some saying the protests helped the situation

MPUMALANGA - Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa scoffed at claims that the national shutdown influenced the decision to temporarily suspend loadshedding.

Eskom suspended power cuts from Friday, 17 March until Wednesday, 22 March, due to an improvement in generation capacity. Ramokgopa said the move had nothing to do with the EFF protest.

Addressing the media at the Duvha Power Station in Mpumalanga, the minister said the protest was a once-off event that did not affect loadshedding, according to TimesLIVE.

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“I engaged with the management at the power station level as well as the unions and the workers to affirm our confidence in the hard-working men and women on the ground who work tirelessly to resolve the loadshedding problem,” said the minister.

He said power cuts would be reduced for the next seven days. Ramokgopa said officials are trying to understand the scale of the problem.

The minister said the energy action plan is being accelerated. He added that six power stations are beginning to pick up and the energy availability factor is going up, The Citizen reported.

Mzansi annoyed with Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa’s remarks

Tshepo Lee Motloung said:

“Defensive instead of fixing the problem. I lost confidence in him when he said that there's no corruption at Eskom that statement alone shows that he'll never fix this mess.”

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Ke John-Doe commented:

“Suspended my foot, and we are back to where it all started.”

Kasi Clever posted:

“A shutdown every week might the best solution to loadshedding as they have started crazy power cuts again. They make EFF shutdown make sense.”

Collen Dube wrote:

“The minister is bluffing.”

Pule Sydwell Dibakwane added:

“Let's vote EFF in next year’s national election to stop loadshedding.”

Ramokgopa says Eskom’s issues are technical, not corruption related, as utility is praised for improving efficiency

Briefly News also reported that the Black Business Council has praised ailing power utility Eskom for improving the efficiency of its power stations, which has resulted in the reduction of loadshedding.

Meanwhile, new Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa’s tour of South Africa’s 14 power stations has led him to conclude that Eskom’s troubles stem from technical issues, not corruption.

Ramokgopa made the comments during a visit to Kusile Power Station on Tuesday, 21 March.

Source: Briefly News