No schism between deputy president and me over Eskom - Ramaphosa
10 January 2020
President Cyril Ramaphosa has defended comments made by his deputy, David Mabuza, on Thursday, saying they were one on the issue of Eskom.
"There is no schism in what Deputy President David Mabuza said and what the president said," Ramaphosa told those gathered at an ANC fundraising gala dinner in Kimberley.
His comments come after Mabuza said, during a walk-about in Kimberley this week, Ramaphosa had been misled by the Eskom board and Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan.
Ramaphosa addressed the issue on Friday evening during a keynote address at the gala dinner ahead of the party's 108th birthday rally in Kimberley on Saturday.
The power utility has been an ongoing challenge for Ramaphosa's government, with a bout of load shedding hitting the country over the festive season.
This after the president promised there would be no load shedding until January 13.
"South Africans should be concerned, they should be worried about the status of Eskom," said Ramaphosa.
He reiterated a message he has often communicated that the power utility was too important to fail.
This week also saw the country's growth forecast being cut by the World Bank due to ongoing challenges with the state entity.
"We must make sure we restore Eskom and its capability to deliver energy," Ramaphosa said.
The Presidency announced earlier that Eskom board chairperson Jabu Mabuza had turned in his resignation on Friday, apologising for the electricity provider's inability to keep its commitment to keep the lights on.
