‘Believe me, load shedding will be over by year-end’ - Mashatile
Deputy President Paul Mashatile has once again promised South Africans that the government would be able to end load shedding this year.
Mashatile delivered a public lecture on 30 years of democracy at the University of Johannesburg on Tuesday morning.
He acknowledged that while the government has made considerable progress since 1994, there have been notable impediments, including continuous power cuts.
He said Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa had made significant progress in ending load-shedding by the end of this year.
"I would like to assure you that plans are in place nationally to ensure that load shedding is ended this year.
“I know you don't believe me. They think I am electioneering, but I am not. It is true. That is why I am not saying it will end before the elections. I am saying this year," he said.
Mashatile said that once load shedding has ended, the electricity minister will start with forward planning.
“Some of you might have heard him saying he is himself out of a job because he is going to end load shedding. So I said to him: 'No, you are not working yourself out of a job because once you have ended load shedding, you must plan for another ten years’.
“You must invest in the new generation, make sure Eskom builds new power stations, ensure that renewables are implemented, and make sure that we can also use gas to power," said Mashatile.
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