Mmusi Maimane slams GNU for no electricity in Soweto for 36 hours

• The president of Build One SA, Mmusi Maimane, slammed the African National Congress and the Democratic Alliance
• BOSA's leader sarcastically accused the government of national unity and slammed it for load-reduction after Sowetans have been without electricity
• Eskom's Daphne Mokoena cautioned on the strain illegal connections have on the electricity supply
• South Africans turned on Maimane, and some said Soweto residents do not pay their electricity bill

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, has covered policy changes, the State of the Nation Address, politician-related news and elections at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News for over seven years.

JOHANNESBURG— Mmusi Maimane, the president of Build One SA, slammed load reduction and blamed the African National Congress and the Democratic Alliance's coalition.

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Maimane slams load-reduction

Maimane tweeted on his X account, @MmusiMaimane. In the tweet, He spoke against the load reduction the City of Johannesburg introduced in early June to offset the pressure on the grid.

"Dear GNU DA/ANC, the people of Soweto are without electricity for 36 hours. Whilst elections are one, will you account to the people of Soweto? Parliament must change this policy of load reduction in its selection of communities. Will table our energy plan soon in Parliament."

Soweto residents have been without electricity for almost a week after a fire gutted the Zola substation and left nine townships, including Zola and Emndeni.

View Maimane's tweet here:

Eskom speaks to Briefly News

Eskom's spokesperson, Daphne Mokoena, told Briefly News that citizens are urged to report illegal connections which strain the electricity supply.

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"With the temperatures dropping, consumers who are illegally connected or have bypassed their meters use electricity indiscriminately, which leads to the overloading of the electricity network. This can lead to infrastructure damage, including transformer explosions. This will not only affect the electricity supply for customers connected to these networks but also a safety concern to members of the public," she said.

"Eskom pleads with all members of the public to report those who have illegally connected, bypassed meters or bought electricity from illegal vendors. We also plead with customers to use electricity efficiently during morning and evening peak hours."

South Africans debate Maimane

Netizens went against Maimane's comments on load-reduction as another form of loadshedding.

Poplap said:

"That's a little unfair, even for low politics."

Dave T said:

"Before Eskom resorts to load reduction, obviously, they check and verify how customers are servicing their debt to Eskom or the municipality. Encourage Sowetans to pay for the electricity they use. It's simple, really."

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Chris Hattingh asked:

"Isn't load limiting implemented across JHB?"

Kay Matthews said:

"The people of Soweto must pay for electricity like everyone else."

Richard Segami said:

"If they pay like everyone else, then they have a right to complain. If not, they must stay in the dark."

South Africans impressed with Mmusi Maimane's BOSA

In a similar article, Briefly News reported that South Africans saluted Build One SA.

Maimane appointed two women to represent the Party in Parliament. BOSA's deputy president, Nobunto Hlazo-Webster, joined him in the National Assembly, and Ayanda Allie represented the Party at the Gauteng Provincial Legislature.

Source: Briefly News