Ramokgopa’s Big Lie on loadshedding has been exposed

12 July 2023

Electricity Minister, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa’s Big Lie that the "recovery" in generation capacity was sustainable and would last until the end of winter has been exposed after Eskom announced this morning that stage 6 loadshedding will be implemented from 2pm this afternoon.

Ramokgopa’s disingenuous attempts to provide misleading information to guide public opinion on loadshedding for political purposes is grossly irresponsible and must be condemned outright. Ever since his appointment, Ramokgopa has done nothing of consequence except pursue a misleading public relations campaign for the failing ANC government based on false claims that loadshedding was under control.

If there is any shred of honesty left in Ramokgopa, he would issue a public apology to South Africans and commit to providing factual information, not fiction, on the true status of Eskom’s generation fleet. Anything short of an apology will make him an unreliable authority who cannot be trusted on anything that relates to the electricity crisis.

It is telling that Ramokgopa’s Big Lie has been amplified repeatedly from Luthuli House and all the way to the Union Buildings. Recently, the ANC’s Fikile Mbalula made the false claim that ‘loadshedding would soon be a thing of the past’ as ‘South Africa's energy supply was stabilising’. His fake optimism was repeated by President Cyril Ramaphosa who bragged that ‘measures taken so far to stabilise electricity generation had brought relief from the current load-shedding’.

Based on the extent and reach of the Big Lie, questions should now be asked on whether there was a deliberate decision taken by Ramaphosa and his government to intentionally mislead South Africans on the true extent of the electricity crisis.

Having endured loadshedding for 16 years, there was no reason whatsoever for anyone – least of all Ramakgopa and Ramaphosa, to lie to South Africans on the power crisis. It is an acknowledged fact that the ANC government has run out of ideas to fix loadshedding.

As people brace for stage 6 of loadshedding, in the dead of winter, one thing should be clear in their minds - the ANC government has been lying to them and they are now paying a heavy price for it. For that, Ramakgopa and Ramaphosa must hang their heads in shame.

Issued by Samantha Graham-Maré, DA Shadow Minister of Electricity, 12 July 2023