Minister Ramokgopa refuses to save the date – Samantha Graham-Mare
29 May 2023
On Friday, 19 May, I wrote to the Minister of Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, inviting him to a joint oversight visit to obtain first hand insight into interventions that are being implemented by DA-led municipalities in the Western Cape to mitigate the worst effects of loadshedding. He has not only failed to acknowledge the invitation, but has also clearly decided to take a partisan approach to the electricity crisis.
Since his appointment, Ramokgopa has been crisscrossing the country, meeting with practically anyone, but has failed to expend the same energy and meet with municipalities working towards ending loadshedding, most of which are DA run.
Ramokgopa’s constant refrain of a ‘whole of society approach’ to solving the loadshedding crisis is now at risk of sounding hollow unless he recognizes that the energy challenge that the country is facing is not a partisan issue. Every solution that is currently being explored to fix the electricity crisis, especially by well-run DA municipalities, needs to be put on the table for consideration and possible implementation in the rest of the country.
2023 is 149 days old. We have had 2 days without loadshedding. For some, the rolling blackouts are an irritation. For others, the purchase of generators, inverters and solar systems ease the impact of loadshedding.