Gwede Mantashe Says He’s Open-Minded About the Country’s Energy Issues, SA Reacts: “Certainly Not a Thinker”

• Gwede Mantashe believes the country must get the most out of Eskom's coal power station before moving to renewable energy
• Mantashe said Eskom's power stations need to be managed properly to mitigate the increased rolling out of loadshedding
• South African citizens shared their opinions on how the country's energy problems can be solved on social media

BLOEMFONTEIN - The Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, addressed his critics who have labelled him a coal fundamentalist regarding generating electricity in the country.

Mantashe said he's open-minded about energy production and empathised that priority should be placed on getting Eskom's energy availability in line with the industry standard of 75%.

The minister was speaking at a discussion on economic and energy security in Mangaung, hosted by the African National Congress (ANC), reported EWN. He added:

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"We can’t go on like this… We have 20,000 megawatts that are connected, not decommissioned, but give us no energy. How do we resolve that?"

According to TimesLIVE, Mantashe has been vocal in the past that abandoning coal power stations to renewable energy was not the best solution for solving the energy crisis in the country.

SA citizens' comments are below:

Melanie O'Brien said:

"Put him on pension he has antiquated ideas time for a younger innovative person."

Mark Muller mentioned:

"Certainly not a thinker! Need brains for that."

Kagisho Kaygee posted:

"A balanced energy thinker, who benefits from both ends."

Sipho Shamase added:

"A balanced thinker in the same sentence as this chap who strives to wear oversized suits and on spewing nonsense is quite astonishing, to say the least."

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Macingwane Mchunu wrote:

"He is right, you can't destroy your old house before you build another one. Get renewable ready with a 48000-megawatt pilot to see if it is sustainable during winter and summer then you can switch off coal plants."

ANC admits that loadshedding is hindering South Africa’s economic growth, leaving Mzansi eye-rolling

Briefly News reported that the African National Congress (ANC) has admitted that the effects of loadshedding are hindering South Africa's economic growth.

Members of the party touched on the country’s energy crisis during the ANC’s Economic Dialogue on economic reforms and energy security in the Mangaung Region on Friday, 6 January.

Source: Briefly News