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Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa is on a victory lap of sorts.
The minister, who usually gives his energy action plan (EAP) update every two weeks, provided another update on Monday, following last week’s, as the country approaches a full two months without load shedding.
READ: ANC walks political tightrope over coal plant shutdowns
Speaking at a briefing at Eskom’s Megawatt Park, Ramokgopa said this week’s update was held at the power producer’s headquarters to “express our sincere appreciation to the men and women – black, white, Indian, and coloured – of Eskom who have done everything possible to ensure their contribution to the success of the EAP.”
Looking to the stars, Ramokgopa said:
Ramokgopa acknowledged the presence of Eskom’s leadership in its entirety.
“The entire board of Eskom is part of this briefing. It is significant; it illustrates that it is all of the government’s efforts to resolve the challenges facing the country,” the minister said.
He thanked the board on behalf of the country and the executive but maintained the cautious optimism he has expressed since the start of this run without load shedding: “We're not yet out of the woods.”
“We know that we are going to have momentary setbacks. It’s in the nature of this, but we must be fixed on the bouncing ball. That bouncing ball is returning those units on time as we have promised the country. Where there are periods of failure, you mustn’t be disappointed. As consummate professionals, you have done very well to take us to where we are.”
He said:
Ramokgopa, before directly addressing the men and women at Megawatt Park, was apparently challenged to a dance-off, which he had to decline.
“The only reason I didn’t take the offer is because my son said, ‘every time you’re on social media and you dance, we go to stage 6 load shedding’. So, to protect the integrity of the institution, I declined the offer,” said the man with grid-shattering moves.
Ramokgopa also addressed the Pretoria High Court, upholding a ruling that Eskom should provide an uninterrupted power supply to essential facilities, saying, “Eskom is awaiting legal advice from the presidency.”
“We have never denied that load shedding is diminishing the constitutional rights of citizens, including the right to good quality learning and healthcare. It's a major disruption, and the one issue we’ve been raising is that we needed legal clarity on what it means when you say the minister must design an effective plan so that we are not in contempt of the law when we design plans that the court doesn't deem appropriate.”
Ramokgopa said:
“What we'll do is wait for the legal advice from state law advisers, and we’ll continue to ensure that we are able to improve the performance of the grid so that we make this point moot.
"We aim to reach a situation where the conversation about exemptions becomes irrelevant. That question arises only if you have load shedding.
READ: Less diesel, more renewables and help from Kusile | How Eskom is keeping the lights on
"Like I said, that is sometime in the future, and, in the meantime, we're still looking for solutions to provide uninterrupted power to essential services,” Ramokgopa said, speaking on the sidelines of the media briefing.
