Cyril Ramaphosa Credits ANC for Ending Load Shedding, SA Says: “Congrats for Fixing What You Caused”
- President Cyril Ramaphosa celebrated the fact that South Africa has gone more than 460 days without load shedding
- The President also told African National Congress supporters who was responsible for bringing the power crisis to an end
- South Africans weighed in on his comments on social media, but many questioned whether the party deserved any praise
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Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.
GAUTENG - President Cyril Ramaphosa has bragged about South Africa surpassing 460 consecutive days without load shedding, putting it down to clear leadership.
The President made the comments in Diepsloot on 23 August 2026, where the African National Congress (ANC) launched its election manifesto. The Local Government Elections will be held on 4 November 2026.
While addressing supporters, Ramaphosa stated that seven provinces were now free from load reduction, with ongoing work focused on the remaining affected areas in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
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He also acknowledged that load reduction — a less severe form of controlled supply management — still affects some areas but insisted that the Department of Electricity was actively resolving those challenges.
Ramaphosa hails clear leadership for ending load shedding
Speaking about the end of load shedding, Ramaphosa hailed it as an achievement, saying it was brought about by the ANC.
“This progress shows what can be achieved when there is clear leadership, skilled management, disciplined execution, and cooperation across government, public institutions, business, labour, and society.
“Yes, our Eskom is now delivering electricity properly on an ongoing basis. And our Eskom, remember, is 100% owned by the people of South Africa,” he said.
Ramaphosa’s comes under fire for Eskom comments
The attempt to frame the energy turnaround as an ANC victory drew immediate scepticism on social media, where critics argued the party was seeking credit for fixing a problem of its own making.
@Mrmoney115 asked:
“How can we praise a fish for swimming?”
@selwan09 wrote:
“Congrats for fixing the issues you caused. It was the ANC's responsibility to maintain our power supply. They failed miserably; now he wants to be congratulated for fixing what they broke.”
@GregMakgwe asked:
“The same ANC government presided over years of worsening load shedding, declining Eskom reliability and massive economic damage. Now that the crisis has eased, suddenly it's an ANC achievement?”
@CoenieMID added:
“It is only in South Africa where the government wants praise for keeping the lights on, while the water taps run dry in JHB, sewerage plants in many ANC-run municipalities come to a stinky stop, and road infrastructure crumbles.”
@TheAdonisView offered a more measured assessment:
“Credit for ending load shedding. Yes, but electricity is a basic public service, not a political gift. South Africans paid for it through tariffs and taxes while enduring years of outages and economic damage.”
Fikile Mbalula asks church to pray for ANC
Briefly News reported that Fikile Mbalula addressed the congregation of St John's Apostolic Church, where he called for forgiveness and prayers.
The ANC Secretary General stated that the party could not be judged based on the actions of some members.
His appeal sparked outrage among South Africans who questioned the intersection of politics and religion.
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Source: Briefly News
