Loadshedding: Mantashe must go
28 June 2022
Please find attached soundbites in English and Afrikaans by Kevin Mileham MP.
The imminent threat of stage 6 loadshedding highlights the failures of the ANC government, and in particular a string of energy ministers and Eskom war rooms (led first by Cyril Ramaphosa and later by David Mabuza).
Gwede Mantashe, however, deserves singling out. As the minister responsible for securing South Africa’s electricity needs and planning its energy future, he has been obstructive and combative in his approach to dealing with proposed solutions.
Mantashe’s allegiance to outdated ideologies, his strong links to the unions (and in particular the National Union of Mineworkers, of which he was once the National Organizer and General Secretary), and his unwavering support for coal and nuclear, have placed him at the forefront of hindering a range of solutions to South Africa’s short term electricity generation crisis.