‘Misinterpretation’ – Ramaphosa ‘clarifies’ ANC MP Sylvia Lucas’s load shedding comments

Disgruntled attendees of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s engagement with the Cape Town Press Club at the Kelvin Grove Club in Newlands, Cape Town, on Thursday, had to be silenced for the president to continue explaining ANC MP Sylvia Lucas’s comments on load shedding.

Lucas made her statement on Tuesday during Parliament’s debate in response to the State of the Nation Address (Sona) delivered by President Cyril Ramaphosa last week.

“Load shedding is not the end of the world,” she said.

ALSO READ: ‘Electricity a luxury during apartheid’ – ANC MP Sylvia Lucas apologises for load shedding remarks

Her statement has received nothing but criticism, with KwaZulu-Natal Salga chairperson Thami Ntuli on Wednesday saying: “That statement was insensitive. For municipalities it has resulted in loss of revenue and service delivery pickets that have affected the economy.

“Some businesses are unable to pay their dues to municipalities because of load shedding which has left them financially limping. Some businesses have even closed shop because of load shedding.”

In an interview with SAfm on Thursday, Lucas said she does understand the impact of load shedding, and further called on South Africans to understand her statements within context.

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She, however, apologised.

“If that is the case I would really like to apologise to the nation if I came across as someone who is insensitive,” Lucas said.

On Thursday, Ramaphosa said Lucas may have been misunderstood.

“I don’t think she means to say ‘accept load shedding, because that’s what it is’. I thought what she meant was we’ve got a number of challenges and load shedding is one of those,” said Ramaphosa.

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“That’s what I read into what she said. Possibly many people misinterpreted what she said and I am able to say the interpretation should be there are a number of challenges and we have to continue addressing load shedding.”