President Ramaphosa To Appoint A Minister Of Electricity To Address Energy Crisis

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced Thursday that he will appoint a minister of electricity to address the ongoing power outages that have plagued the nation.

He made the statement while addressing the Joint Sitting of Parliament at Cape Town City Hall. National Energy Crisis Committee, among other aspects of the electrical crisis, will be under the incoming minister's supervision, SABC News reported.

"The minister of electricity in the Presidency will assume full responsibility for overseeing all aspects of the electricity crisis response, including the work of the energy crisis committee. Now the minister will focus full time on the work with the Eskom board and management to end load shedding and ensure that the energy action plan is implemented without delay," said the President via his official Twitter handle.

Further, President Ramaphosa expressed his confidence that South Africa will come out of the crisis with a more effective electrical grid.

Opposition slams Ramaphosa's decision

Bantu Holomisa, the leader of the United Democratic Movement, claims that his party is skeptical about the nomination of a minister of electricity and his ability to make progress in resolving the country's electrical crisis.

Several other political parties have reinforced similar viewpoints.

The leader of the Inkatha Freedom Party, Velenkosini Hlabisa, claims that Gwede Mantashe (minister of mineral resources and energy) and Pravin Gordhan (minister of public enterprises) have both lost the president's vote of confidence.

Mzwanele Nyontsho, Pan Africanist Congress of Azania leader, has stated his party doesn't support the appointment.

Willy Madisha, Congress of the People Vice President, claims that Ramaphosa's State of the Nation Address was merely a rehash of earlier false promises.

South Africa's power crisis hurting mining industry

President Ramaphosa has said the country's mining industry, a crucial pillar of the economy, has been seriously harmed by the country's electrical problem. He made the remark while speaking at the largest mining investment conference in the world named 'Investing in African Mining Indaba.'

He acknowledged during his speech that the 200 days of continuing power outages in 2022 contributed to the downturn. The government now permitting mining businesses to independently generate their own electricity without any constraints will make a significant difference, he added.

"According to the Minerals Council of South Africa, since the licensing threshold was lifted, approximately 89 embedded projects have been developed with a focus on renewable solutions like solar, wind and battery storage," said Ramaphosa.

"Not only will these projects support mining operations themselves and bring down operation costs, but they will also add much needed power to the country's overall supply and support South Africa's decarbonization process," he added.