The ANC 'solution' to the failed Eskom? Create another Eskom

15 July 2022

Please find attached a soundbite by Ghaleb Cachalia MP.

In the midst of an economically destructive electricity crisis, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s "clever idea" is to propose the establishment of another State Owned Enterprise (SOE), ostensibly to "compete" with Eskom’s monopoly.

This announcement proves beyond any doubt that Ramaphosa’s government is completely out of touch and clueless on what needs to be done to address the electricity crisis.

The country has been waiting since Monday with baited breath for Ramaphosa to announce the measures that he says his government has been working on to address the electricity crisis. Just when everyone thought he is getting ready to show leadership, he emerges at an SACP conference to announce a "solution" that will only make the loadshedding crisis worse.

South Africans are going through the worst loadshedding schedule on record and the best that the President and his Cabinet can come up with are "Alice in Wonderland" fantasies – straight out of a Soviet era playbook.

Instead of addressing the ongoing crisis, Ramaphosa could not miss an opportunity to create another taxpayer funded SOE which his ANC comrades will only be too happy to get their hands on.

The DA completely rejects the idea of another SOE with the contempt it derives. South Africa needs an urgent solution to open up the energy sector to Independent Power Producers and onboarding of new generation capacity in the shortest possible time to address the electricity crisis.

Issued by Ghaleb Cachalia, DA Shadow Minister of Public Enterprises, 15 July 2022