Lesufi urges Ramaphosa to end load-shedding crisis, fix Eskom

PHUTI MOSOMANE

IN what some would consider an uncharacteristic move, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi says that he plans to tell President Cyril Ramaphosa at a high-level meeting on Friday night to urgently stop the load shedding crisis and fix the embattled power utility Eskom.

Lesufi was speaking at a special breakfast held at the Soshanguve East Secondary School, north of Pretoria, to honour top performers in the National Senior Certificate matric exams.

“We are meeting the President tonight (Friday), and I will ask President Ramaphosa that if we do not stop load shedding, this will be the end of us,” he told parents and teachers in Soshanguve on Friday, adding that he intended to re-assure Ramaphosa that Gauteng is willing to support economic growth, but Eskom’s continued blackouts remain a stumbling block. 

Lesufi said getting Gauteng back on an economic trajectory required reliable and sustainable energy supply.

“As Gauteng we