Ramokgopa has been thrown under the bus by ANC

There can be few people reading our main story today who would feel sympathy for our electricity minister, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa when he says his duties are so onerous he feels his life is no longer his own.

One of the first reactions might be to repeat that old political adage that “if you can’t stand the heat, then get out of the kitchen.”

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After all, when you signed up for this, you knew that politics is not for sissies and that if you want to progress in the ANC, you do what you’re told. However, let’s stand back and look at Ramokgopa’s appointment with a wider lens.

While he may be a qualified engineer, he is not the man, practically, to keep the lights on. He is a figurehead with, seemingly, very little real power over either Eskom, or the department of energy, where Gwede Mantashe continues to sing the praises of fossil fuels and Karpowership.

Ramokgopa has simply been thrown under the bus by the ANC. He was appointed, with great fanfare, to undo the supposed damage wreaked by André de Ruyter and to demonstrate black excellence.

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All the while, the ANC must have known he was going to be nothing more than a lightning rod to draw the ire of ordinary people about load shedding.

In the process, anger directed at Ramokgopa would be directed away from the party itself. He clearly has some frustrations, admitting to us that there hasn’t been enough progress in bringing to book the criminal syndicates and saboteurs sucking the lifeblood out of Eskom.

Yet, at the same time, he is also hopeful – that new capacity can be added to the electricity grid and that it will keep pace with demand as our economy grows.

ALSO READ: Ramokgopa clears ‘confusion’ on hot weather and load shedding comments

We have to say: good luck, sir. We wouldn’t want your job…