In a promising turn of events, South African Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa anticipates stepping down by the year’s end as the nation gears up for a substantial boost in power supply. With an additional 6,000 megawatts expected from state sources, Ramokgopa foresees a future without the need for his ministry. His optimism reflects a concerted effort to alleviate the long-standing power crisis, which has hindered economic growth and drawn criticism ahead of national elections.
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By Antony Sguazzin
South African Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said an anticipated improvement in electricity supply should see him out of a job by the end of 2024.
The country, which has been plagued by crippling power cuts, will get an additional 6,000 megawatts of supply from state sources by the end of the year, Ramokgopa told an infrastructure conference organized by Ninety One Plc in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
“There will not be a need for this ministry by the end of the year,” he said. “I will be the happiest person within three months. More and more you will wake up to a hot bath. Much later a cooked meal at home.”
Ramokgopa was appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa to help resolve the 15-year power crisis last year. Outages, often lasting 10 hours or more daily, have slowed economic growth and have become a lightning rod for criticism of the ruling African National Congress’s management of the economy in the run-up to national elections in May.
Within about a week, the government and the state power utility, Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd., will announce how private investors can participate in an expected 390 billion-rand ($21 billion) expansion of the national transmission grid, Ramokgopa said.
Read also:
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- China to provide backup power supply to SA: 500+ public facilities to escape load-shedding
- Wietze Post – Electricity supply: Wishful thinking and economic reality (Part 1)
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