‘We’ve made clear and measurable progress’ –Ramaphosa on electricity crisis

In his reply to the State of the Nation Address (Sona) debate, President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed challenges such as the electricity crisis and corruption.

Despite progress, he acknowledged the need for further action to stabilise South Africa’s electricity supply and combat corruption.

The president said the debate on Tuesday and Wednesday highlighted the “sharp difference” among political parties about South Africa’s past, present, and future and that the difference was sharpened by the upcoming elections.

“Yet, amidst all the contributions made in the debate, no speaker has been able to refute a fundamental reality: that the lives of millions of South Africans have been transformed over the 30 years of freedom,” Ramaphosa said.

He further used his Tintswalo analogy and said that, like Tintswalo, the young people of South Africa face a number of challenges.

Ramaphosa on electricity crisis

Among these challenges is the electricity crisis.

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During Sona, the president said the end was near for load shedding; however, in the subsequent days after the speech, Eskom ramped up load shedding up to stages 5 and 6.

In his reply, the president said the country had made “clear and measurable” progress in resolving the electricity crisis, including improvements in maintaining Eskom plants, returning damaged units to service, and installing solar panels in businesses and households.

“The transformation of Eskom with a view to making it much more effective is one of the most important reforms introduced by this administration. When completed, it will result in a complete overhaul of our electricity architecture,” Ramaphosa said.

He, however, conceded that there was still much more to be done to stabilise South Africa’s electricity supply.

“As South Africans confront load shedding on an almost daily basis, the actions we are taking now will ensure that we have enough electricity to power the growth of our economy and the development of our society for decades to come,” the president said.

He added that the government was not only focused on electricity generation; Eskom was also introducing funding approaches to build more than 14 000 km of new transmission lines.

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“As load shedding is steadily and surely brought to an end, we will emerge from this electricity crisis into a completely transformed energy landscape,” Ramaphosa said.

Corruption

During the debate on Wednesday, Democratic Alliance (DA) chief whip Siviwe Gwarube said Ramaphosa was a hypocrite when he spoke tough on corruption when Deputy President Paul Mashatile, allegedly implicated in corruption, was sitting next to him.

Gwarube noted that South Africans were gaslighted by the ANC government when they were held to account.

“He [Ramaphosa] decided to do some fancy footwork on Thursday by focusing on the past 30 years of democracy and not the past five years of his presidency,” she said.

In his reply, the president said the justice system had made “great advances” in tackling corruption and bringing those responsible for state capture to justice.

Ramaphosa said the government has been rebuilding law enforcement agencies and anti-corruption bodies; established the Investigating Directorate in the NPA to undertake prosecution-led investigations of corruption and the SIU Special Tribunal to recover stolen funds; and strengthened coordination between bodies like the Hawks, Special Investigating Unit, Financial Intelligence Centre, SARS, and the NPA.

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“The SIU has been increasingly effective in uncovering acts of corruption and wrongdoing in the state, and we have put in place mechanisms to ensure that the SIU’s referrals are implemented,” he said.

“All of this work has helped to turn the tide against corruption.”

He added that the government was also putting into place laws, institutions, and practices that reduce the potential for corruption, as recommended by the State Capture Commission.