SA Mocks Ramokgopa for Blaming ANC’s Poor Election Results on Energy Crisis

• Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa blamed the ANC's poor election performance on the energy crisis
• But his remarks have sparked widespread criticism on social media, highlighting various public concerns
• South Africans point to multiple factors beyond just the energy crisis affecting the ANC's support

Reitumetse Makwea, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Pretoria, South Africa, has covered local elections, policy changes, the State of the Nation Address and political news at The Citizen and Rekord Noweto for over five years.

Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has attributed the ANC's disappointing performance in the recent elections to the country's ongoing energy crisis.

However, his remarks have led to South Africans mocking him on social media and highlighting a broader array of public concerns.

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ANC loses elections dismally

Various political parties conduct postmortem analyses two weeks after the 29 May elections to understand their performance.

The ANC's National Assembly seats dropped from 230 to 159, and it lost a majority for the first time since 1994.

Meanwhile, the ANC is engaged in last-minute negotiations for a potential power-sharing agreement while preparing for a comprehensive three-day conference to dissect the election results.

According to EWN Ramokgopa, the decommissioning of the Komati coal power plant in Mpumalanga was a significant factor in the ANC's drop in support.

"As a result, constituencies and communities drawing from the experiences of Komati, the most painful experience, have decided to desert this movement and go somewhere else to secure their future. We have not really begun to understand what that political economy of energy is."

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It's more than just the electricity crisis

However, South Africans noted many contributing factors to the low turnout, like a lack of service delivery and not just loadshedding.

@ALETTAHA reflected a sentiment that the energy crisis is just one of many issues contributing to the ANC's electoral struggles:

"That was only one of the reasons. There are plenty more."

@sthedoingthings criticised Ramokgopa's perceived failure to address the energy issues promptly after his appointment:

"How can you blame something you could've solved as soon as you were appointed as electricity minister @Kgosientsho_R"

@Nkosi_Shebi blamed President Cyril Ramaphosa

"Who brought that energy crisis in the first place? He must blame that useless man called Cyril Ramaphosa"

@errolbsk agreed with Ramokgopa but extended the blame to other ANC leaders:

"True. Loadshedding left a bitter taste everywhere. The ANC engineered its own election demise by failing to run Eskom properly. Pravin and Gwede should shoulder the blame also."

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ANC’s Secretary General Fikile Mbalula admits election decline, plans reflective meeting

Briefly News previously reported that the ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula said the party’s election performance is a disappointment rather than a cause for celebration.

He addressed journalists at the IEC’s National Results Operations Centre in Midrand on 2 June 2024; Mbalula said the results sent a clear message to the ANC, and they have heard the people's concerns.

Source: Briefly News