WATCH: ‘Load shedding isn’t the end of the world’ – ANC MP during Sona debate

“Load shedding isn’t the end of the world.” These are the words of the African National Congress (ANC) MP and National Council of Provinces (NCOP) deputy chair Sylvia Lucas.

Lucas made the remarks in Afrikaans during the debate on Tuesday to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s state of the nation address (Sona).

Watch: Sylvia Lucas says load shedding ‘not the end of the world’

“Load shedding isn’t the end of the world,” she said, adding that as soon as Ramaphosa talks about load shedding, “there is sabotage”.

“We will have to do something about that sabotage.”

Lucas was criticised for her comments on social media with people saying it was easy for her make the remarks when she does not experience the severity of the rolling blackouts.

“That’s very easy to say when your very secure home is fitted with a taxpayer-funded generator. Not when darkness and power cuts enable crime, harm people who need power for medical care, rot food in cash-strapped homes, destroy small businesses and makes everyday life miserable,” shared Karyn Maughan on X.

ActionSA’s Athol Trollip commented on how “out of touch” ANC MPS are.

Journalist Kyle Cowan commented on how Lucas’s “breathtaking arrogance”.

Ramaphosa promises

During the Sona, Ramaphosa promised the worst of the energy crisis was behind us. He said that this was as a result of the efforts around the restructuring of the electricity sector.

“We set out a clear plan to end load shedding, which we have been implementing with a single-minded focus through the National Energy Crisis Committee.

“We have delivered on our commitments to bring substantial new power through private investment on to the grid, which is already helping to reduce load shedding,” he said.

ALSO READ: Eskom pushes load shedding to stage 6 until further notice

Anger

Ramaphosa admitted load shedding had evoked “a lot of anger”, but said South Africans were resilient and hopeful of “a better time”.

“It is a constant problem for South Africans. We know that and everybody feels it. And it’s not comfortable at all. In fact, it does sometimes evoke a lot of anger. But, as I’ve said, we do have the resilience as South Africans to keep on ensuring that we do hope for a better time. And a better time is coming.”

Stage 6

Ramaphosa’s words were short lived because barely a day after the Sona address Eskom ramped up the power cuts to stage 6.

The last time the country was at stage 6 was at the end of November 2023.

The high level of power cuts was blamed on two generating units being taken offline and pumped storage dams needing to be replenished.

The most obvious toll that rolling power outages take is a loss of productive time which affects companies, small businesses, spaza shops and even households.

ALSO READ: What relief? Here’s why you are still getting four-hour blocks of load shedding in Joburg