ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has conceded his party is responsible for the electricity crisis of almost two decades that has become a huge threat to economic growth.
Market watchers have flagged the crisis as one of the major factors denting SA’s economic prospects. The Reserve Bank calculated that load-shedding will shave off 2 percentage points of growth in 2023. This means growth is now expected at 0.3% instead of 2.3%.
Various sectors of the economy, including tourism, mining, agriculture and manufacturing have warned they are under terrible strain with more frequent and lengthy blackouts.
The load-shedding, which began in 2008, also threatens to hit ANC performance in the 2024 general election. Its voter support could fall to below 40% in 2024. Pollsters and political analysts have already predicted a swing to opposition parties.
The ANC-led government is under rising pressure to resolve the power crisis after years of state capture, corruption and inefficiency of ANC-appointed people led to Eskom failing to meet the country’s power needs.
“We cannot deal with [load-shedding] by running away and cutting corners as if we are not in power,” Mbalula told reporters on the sidelines of the first day of the ANC national executive committee (NEC) meeting on Thursday.
“Load-shedding started in 2008, and we have been grappling with it until now. ANC does take responsibility, and that does not mean you don’t deal with the issues at hand.”
Mbalula again defended mineral resources & energy minister Gwede Mantashe, who has been accused of inaction during the power crisis. He said “insults” levelled at the minister should be ignored as they “are not taking the country anywhere”.
Mantashe, ANC national chair and a key ally of President Cyril Ramaphosa, maintains that load-shedding can be solved in six to 12 months. Mantashe told ANC members at an energy dialogue on Wednesday that the government should push ahead with its controversial plan to procure about 1,200MW of power from Turkish company Karpowership.
“If Mantashe raises the debate that others in society seem to be irritated by, we are prepared to engage with them on that,” said Mbalula. “We don’t think that the debate in society must be killed by labelling people as fossils or dinosaurs like Mantashe is known.”
The three-day NEC meeting will be followed by a two-day lekgotla, which government officials are expected to attend to discuss government policy issues. It also comes ahead of an expected cabinet reshuffle by Ramaphosa.
Mbalula, who is the transport minister, has said he will soon tender his resignation from the cabinet, and is not expected to stay in the position “beyond February”. His resignation, along with the resignation of ANC MPs and reconfiguration of the party’s candidate list to parliament has boosted speculation about an imminent reshuffle.
Business Day understands that Ramaphosa informed the ANC top officials on Thursday morning before the start of the NEC meeting that the reshuffle would happen at the end of February.
Deputy President David Mabuza, who was not elected to the NEC during the party’s conference in December, is not expected back in the fold, paving the way for newly elected ANC deputy president Paul Mashatile to take up that position in government.
“The president is applying his mind on these issues ... what we know as a matter of fact is that there must be a replacement in cabinet for myself,” said Mbalula.
Correction: January 30 2023
An earlier version of this story stated that The Reserve Bank has calculated that load-shedding slashed 2.3 percentage points off the growth rate in the third quarter of 2022; the Bank in fact calculated that load-shedding will shave off 2 percentage points growth in 2023.
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