Electricity Minister Announces Resource Plan To Overcome Energy Crisis

Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has launched Resource Mobilisation Fund (RMF) in collaboration with Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) to ensure the complete implementation of the Energy Action Plan (EAP), which is expected to help resolve the energy crisis that continues to affect the nation.

"The establishment of the Resource Mobilisation Fund is a significant step in this regard," Ramokgopa said Thursday afternoon, according to SA News. "It is only through a collective national effort that we will be able to end load shedding and enable our economy to grow."

Ramokgopa explained that RMF will be an example of the government's collaborative approach with its social partners, noting that this is something Cyril Ramaphosa has always prioritized.

The 48-year-old former mayor of Pretoria, who was appointed as electricity minister earlier this month, added that it will also prove that we can get things done if the people in power "go beyond debate and discussion" and make time for "real, practical solutions."

Ramokgopa went on to explain the importance of RMF in helping the government in implementing the EAP.

"The RMF will provide crucial expertise and resources to turbocharge the work of NECOM [National Energy Crisis Committee] and ensure that we put the best minds in our country and indeed across the world to work on this problem," he said.

"The tremendous support which this initiative has already received from businesses and philanthropies alike is evidence that we can work together as Team South Africa to get our country back on track," Ramokgopa continued. "We look forward to a strong partnership with the RMF as we move to ensure swift and full implementation of the President's plan."

Aside from RMF, Ramokgopa shared things that the government has already been working on to overcome the energy crisis.

Energy company Eskom, which is responsible for supplying electricity in South Africa, is reportedly focusing on six power stations that contribute the most load shedding.

The government also removed licensing threshold for embedded generation projects so private organizations can make an investment in electricity generation.

"A new determination for close to 15000 MW of new generation capacity from wind, solar, and battery storage has been published and project agreements for 2800 MW from bid windows 5 and 6 have been signed," Ramokgopa said further.

Ramokgopa was named the new electricity minister on March 1. Following his appointment, the new electricity minister clarified that the load-shedding problem would not be solved overnight.

"Will load shedding end tomorrow? No. It's definitely not going to go away," Ramokgopa said earlier this week. "But as the president says, the severity and regularity of load shedding is something that's on our radar and we will share with you our implementation plan."

"The resources and which entitles are responsible, which parts of society will take the lead and ultimately the executive authority — I'll drive that," he concluded.

Besides appointing Ramokgopa as electricity minister, Ramaphosa also announced the results of the cabinet reshuffle on March 6, revealing several ministers being appointed to new positions.