Picture: for illustration purposes
The Democratic Alliance’s (DA’s) Shadow Minister of Electricity, Samantha Graham-Mare, has presented grave concerns about South Africa's electricity supply situation in an interview with BizNews, accusing Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa of "no accountability."
She voiced her frustrations about multiple unsuccessful attempts to converse with the Minister to discuss and collaborate on resolving SA's persistent power-supply crisis. She lamented the minister’s absence from all ad hoc energy meetings in the Western Cape, though he had previously agreed to attend thrice.
Graham-Mare further revealed her efforts to establish dialogue through multiple platforms including in-person encounters in Parliament, emails, and invitations to jointly tour the Western Cape's potential energy solutions. She noted that the Minister tends only to communicate via the media and avoids one-on-one dialogues or committee engagements.
The Shadow Minister expressed hope for increased engagement following the Parliament's decision to have the Minister now report to the Department of Public Enterprises. However, she voiced scepticism about the Minister’s inconsistent predictions about resolving the power crisis. Citing ESKOM's ominous red-indicated outlook for the forthcoming 52 weeks, she warned of a prolonged power crisis, with load shedding predicted for each upcoming week.
Graham-Mare advocated for securing funds to improve grid capability and accelerating the adoption of renewable energy sources. She underlined the need to generate green energy jobs without compromising coal employments and criticized the government's alleged disinterest in utilizing internationally available resources and knowledge for a smooth transition.