'The end is in sight' - Ramaphosa on load shedding

Ramaphosa was in the National Assembly on Thursday afternoon, answering questions on the role of the new minister, his responsibilities and the timeline he has been given to end loadshedding.

Ramaphosa named Kgosientso Ramokgopa as the Minister of Electricity during his cabinet reshuffle earlier this year.

However, concerns have since been mounting over the lack of clarity around the powers and functions of the minister, who is based in the presidency.

Although he couldn't commit to a clear timeline, the President assured Members of Parliament (MPs) that loadshedding will very soon be a problem of the past. 

He also emphasised the role of the new minister.

"The Minister of Electricity will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the electricity crisis response.

"The Minister of Electricity is responsible for driving the various actions being coordinated by the National Energy Crisis Committee to end load shedding as a matter of urgency.

"As I said then, matters of energy policy remain the responsibility of the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy," said Ramaphosa.

MPs also asked the president to justify how basing the Minister of Electricity in his office is not an attempt to shift oversight on energy policy away from Parliament

"It is up to Parliament to decide how to exercise its oversight role with respect to matters within the jurisdiction of the Minister of Electricity.

"The Minister is overseeing the full and speedy implementation of the Energy Action Plan to ensure that the severity and frequency of load shedding is reduced in the immediate term and brought to an end within the shortest possible time," added the President.

He further explained that there is also progress in ensuring the increase in the construction of new generation capacity.

"The reforms that we have already implemented have resulted in a significant increase in investment in new generation projects, with many more in the pipeline."

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