Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni. (GCIS/X)
- South Africa is approaching nearly five months of no load shedding.
- This is according to Minster in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshaveni.
- She was reporting back on the outcomes of a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
South Africa is on its way to reaching 150 days of no load shedding.
Reporting on the outcomes of a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Cabinet was pleased that South Africa is on its way to achieving this “milestone”.
“Today we are on 148 days without load shedding, and this milestone has been achieved with the reduction in the use of OCGT [open cycle gas turbines], resulting in R10.21 billion savings in the cost of diesel compared to the same period last year,” Ntshavheni said.
She said this proved that attempts to end load shedding were not mere campaigning in the lead-up to the May general election.
Ntshavheni added:
You will recall that when we started to say that there has not been load shedding and there is not going to be load shedding, the sixth administration was accused of taking on diesel spend because we were trying to campaign for the elections.
“The work of the National Energy Crisis Committee, [which] is working with Eskom, is bearing fruit to ensure that we finally get rid of load shedding. There is still much work ahead, but we remain resolute that we are going to [eradicate] load shedding in this country.”
She said the Cabinet had affirmed Minister of Electricity and Energy Kgosientsho Ramokgopa’s decision to allow for further public consultation.
READ | Eskom had to change nearly half of its power station managers to fix load shedding – chair
“Cabinet affirmed that nuclear energy remains part of our country’s energy as it offers a low-carbon, reliable source of electricity that can contribute to the country’s energy security and climate,” Ntshavheni said.
