Mixed views on SA’s new electricity minister

The appointment of the new minister of electricity has sparked conflicting opinions among experts over whether or not he will be the knight in shining armour that rescues the country from the crippling electricity crisis.

Appointment welcomed

Minerals Council South Africa chief executive Roger Baxter welcomed the appointment of Dr Kgosientso Ramokgopa as the minister responsible for electricity in the Presidency to guide the country out of the crisis in partnership with the private sector.

“The Minerals Council has worked with him in the past and we look forward to working with him to help resolve the electricity crisis. It’s important that the other components of government align with the Presidency to achieve the objectives of the electricity recovery plan,” he said.

“The Minerals Council’s members and the private sector have more than 9GW of renewable energy projects worth more than R160 billion that can be built in the next five years, taking the pressure off Eskom so it can conduct its critical maintenance programmes and restore its an ageing fleet of power plants to stability,” he said.

“We look forward to working with him to expedite these projects, removing all red tape and bottlenecks, including strengthening the vital transmission infrastructure to unlock the private sector’s contribution to resolving the crisis.”

READ MORE: SA’s new Minister of Electricity: Who is Kgosientsho Ramokgopa?

‘Titanic’

But Action Society founder Ian Cameron said Ramokgopa wasn’t even able to install electricity meters without getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

“My friend this morning said the Cabinet reshuffle was like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. It’s really how it is, it’s like rearranging broken furniture.”

Cameron said he didn’t have much hope the minister would resolve the crisis.

“I don’t think the ANC has any intention or capacity to change anything regarding the electricity crisis,” he said.

Criminologist professor Jaco Barkhuizen said the new minister should listen to the previous CEO and read the Zondo report (based on the findings of the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture) extensively to ensure load shedding stops.

“Let’s hope he is as untainted as possible and that he goes after the cartels and the corrupt in and around Eskom,” he said.

Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen said Ramokgopa nearly singlehandedly wiped out the City of Tshwane with a smart meter contract declared highly irregular by the Auditor-General when he was mayor.

“If [President] Cyril Ramaphosa thinks Ramokgopa will solve the electricity crisis, then permanent blackouts are inevitable.”

Political expert professor Amanda Gouws of Stellenbosch University said Ramokgopa deserved a chance.

“He is an engineer and Ramaphosa trusts him. He also has a degree in public administration. He says he aims to add 10 000 megawatts to the grid. Let’s see if he can do it,” she said.

ALSO READ: New minister of electricity faces a department born out of failure

– marizkac@citizen.co.za