PHUTI MOSOMANE
MINERAL Resources and Energy Minister, Gwede Mantashe, says that there’s a new plan to split his department into two, and place a pliable person who is ‘pro-renewable energy’ in charge of the new portfolio that will take over Eskom.
A visibly upset Mantashe said the decision was intended to appease liberals in South Africa amid the deepening energy crisis and load shedding facing the country.
Mantashe is accused of failing to resolve the energy crisis since he became Minerals and Energy Minister in 2018.
“Within the ANC there is a new debate that says Energy and Mining must be split. They will split energy from my department [of mineral resources and energy] then say they are taking Eskom to energy in terms of the resolution from the conference of the ANC,” Mantashe told delegates at the 9th ANC Free State Provincial Conference in Mangaung, Free State.
Without naming any specific leader, Mantashe said there are ANC leaders who are planning to do everything possible to ensure that he doesn’t get to oversee the running of Eskom.
He said the plan is to create another department focusing on energy (Department of Energy), and for this, he says a person who is seen as “pro-renewables” will become the new minister.
“What they are going to do is take a person who favours greenies and ask him to run energy. This won’t resolve the load-shedding crisis,” he revealed.
“It’s a battle between “liberals”, and those who are seen as “rebels” (those calling for increased capacity at coal power stations). They want to implement ANC resolution that says Eskom must be moved to energy department whilst pleasing those who are pushing for greater reduction of carbon emissions at expense of citizens who remain in the darkness because of the loadshedding crisis.”
“It’s not our enemies calling for this, it’s ourselves,” he added.
He told delegates that “debate is now shifting from Eskom to attacking Gwede Mantsahe.”
“Now you see, when the liberals mobilise each other they do so through the media and say you have never approved a single megawatt of power generated using renewables. It’s not true, so when I tried to explain that when you approve contracts for renewables – there is a lag time of building that facility, you won’t get electricity immediately, on average it will take 16 months to build that facility – I was called a cynic,” said Mantashe.
If the power utility can focus its attention on maintaining and servicing coal generation power stations, Mantashe said it would be possible for Eskom to move from a 49% electricity availability factor to at least 75%.
Mantashe urged delegates to focus thier attention on improving service delivery in various municipalities, and ensuring that the party organise branches better to produce quality membership.
“Leadership must pay attention to the branches and the quality of membership,” he said.
He further call on delegates to elect capable leaders irrespective of which slates they are one.
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