President Cyril Ramaphosa Says He Has No Intention of Firing Gwede Mantashe, Pravin Gordhan, Andre De Ruyter
- President Cyril Ramaphosa said no one is to blame for loadshedding during his National Assembly Q&A session
- He said ministers Gwede Mantashe and Pravin Gordhan and Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter would not be fired for the rolling blackouts
- Ramaphosa said that more than half of Eskom’s electricity generating capacity collapsed within the past two weeks
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CAPE TOWN - President Cyril Ramaphosa reaffirmed his stance on ministers Gwede Mantashe and Pravin Gordhan, and Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter, saying that no one is to blame for the rolling blackouts.
Source: Getty Images
He addressed loadshedding during a National Assembly question and answer session on Thursday, 29 September.
Ramaphosa’s remarks about the country’s power cuts came after Democratic Alliance (DA) Leader John Steenhuisen reminded him about his promise to end loadshedding in 2015. The president said at the time he had put his hopes on the Medupi and Kusile power stations coming into operation.
He said the country’s energy architecture is complicated and aged. Ramaphosa said a lot of money had been put into the Medupi and Kusile units with the hope of them boosting the country’s energy generation, according to TimesLIVE.
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The president said that in 2015 he believed that the power stations were the solution to the country’s energy woes. However, he also claimed that loadshedding had not been caused intentionally but rather a calamity of enormous proportions, EWN reported.
He said that more than half of Eskom’s electricity generating capacity collapsed within the past two weeks, and it was not planned by the ministers nor by the Eskom CEO. Ramaphosa added that the government is dealing with the energy woes.
Mzansi reacts to the loadshedding saga:
@GenduToit said:
“Lately, when I hear this man speak I need to switch the TV off because I feel like I am going to be sick. I can’t stand being lied to like that so blatantly. I had such high hopes for this man. Can’t believe I was fooled so badly.”
@bertje_sa wrote:
“Finding solutions is the easy part... Implementation is a different story.”
@Baron_Kekana added:
“Cyril must account. The appointment of the De Ruyter was a fallacy. The CEO is very incompetent.”
Pravin Gordhan’s plan to restructure Eskom underway as board member allegedly resigns
In a related matter, Briefly News also reported It seems that Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan’s plan to restructure Eskom’s board is underway.
The power utility has reportedly been served with a resignation notice. CEO of Business Leadership South Africa Busi Mavuso has allegedly resigned as an Eskom board member.
The news of Mavuso’s alleged departure came amid the country’s energy crisis.
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Source: Briefly News
