Ramaphosa warns against sabotaging power grid

President Cyril Ramaphosa says government will move decisively against anyone who sabotages the power grid as his administration attempts to alleviate the high levels of rolling blackouts that the country has recently experienced. He was addressing the nation on the energy crisis in South Africa.

Ramaphosa announced the establishment of a National Energy Crisis Committee involving the Department of Minerals and Energy, Public Enterprise, Environment, Treasury and Police to help deal with the energy problems the country has experienced.

The President says he has consulted widely in recent weeks on how to address the energy crisis.

He says he also visited Tutuka power station in Mpumalanga recently.

Meanwhile, the Restaurant Association of South Africa (RASA) says it is concerned about the worsening energy crisis in the country.

This was in reaction to the announcement by President Ramaphosa of measures being put in place to address the electricity crisis.

The association’s CEO, Wendy Alberts says, “You know we are talking about the further implementation of solar panels at what cost, with the high-interest rate now, makes it unaffordable. We won’t be able to take a further loan. Our industry is already drowning in debt. We have been crippled by the inability to trade through COVID-19 [hard lockdown duration].”

“There simply aren’t enough resources to be able to put funding together, to put up another energy alternative in place. Everything comes at a cost, the cost to run generators now is very expensive,” adds Alberts.

-Additional reporting by Phumzile Mlangeni

The President’s address is below:

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