CHARLES MOLELE
MINISTER of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe says he does not have any issues with Electricity Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa being given powers to procure Independent Power Producers (IPP’s).
The issue of who will be responsible for the procurement office between Mantashe and Ramokgopa has reportedly caused tensions within government.
Speaking during an interview with Talk Radio 702’s Clement Manyathela on Tuesday morning, Mantashe also insisted that Eskom’s load shedding crisis can be resolved by the end of the year, despite Ramokgopa’s claim that it is technically impossible.
“He has a responsibility now; I won’t venture into having an argument with him. He works there [Eskom] now. Technically, it is possible, but he must have insight into other things,” Mantashe said, adding that he believes that there should be clarity on which powers are given to him because too much power can be suffocating for Ramokgopa.
“My issue is we can’t take short cuts. We must be clear on which powers [are afforded to ministers and their departments]. He can’t have too much power. The minister will suffocate under that load,” said Mantashe.
Last week, ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to intervene and prevent territorial disputes between the three ministers responsible for managing the energy sector.
Mbalula also urged Ramaphosa to urgently clarify the powers of newly appointed Electricity Minister. Currently, Ramokgopa does not have any ministerial powers, making his role and function within Cabinet unclear.
During his interview with Talk Radio 702 on Tuesday, Mantashe insisted that loadshedding could be over by the end of the year if emergency power procurement through Karpowership.
In recent months, Mantashe has been vocal about his support for Karpowership and their plans, but Environment Minister Barbara Creecy has argued that environmental concerns cannot be ignored when addressing the power crisis.
He stated that decommissioning Komati Power Station was a huge mistake on the part of government and said that it should be recommissioned as a matter of urgency.
He said that it provided the best Energy Availability Factor (EAF) and that the wind and solar power sources that replaced it only guarantee around 200 MW, compared to the 1000 MW that the Komati Power Station provided.
“Recommissioning Komati [Power Station] is quite urgent. It gave us the best EAF. In total we got 1000 MW,” said Mantashe.
Regarding the funding of power station maintenance, Mantashe suggests that the State can pay for it and that it does not necessarily require funding from the private sector.
He acknowledged that if the private sector has an appetite for it, that would be great, but maintaining existing plants would not necessarily cost more if funded by the state.
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