Statement

It has come to our attention that an article by the Bloomberg syndicated by News24 has been spreading false information about the Secretary-General, Fikile Mbalula, and his views on load shedding. The reportage is a complete distortion of what was said.

The ANC strongly refutes any claims that climate change is to blame for load shedding, and we want to state that these claims are baseless. The Secretary-General presents two key arguments. If the author kept an open mind, they would have presented the Secretary- General’s point correctly.

Firstly the point our Secretary General makes counters the claim that Eskom’s malfunction is due to cadre deployment. The Secretary-General points out that when the CEO of Eskom, who was not a “cadre”, it is during this period where Eskom had its worst performance

Secondly, the Secretary-General supports the independent power producers program. He emphasises that this program is critical to maintaining a reliable energy supply in South Africa. The Secretary-General then reiterated that Eskom’s performance was at its all-time low during the recent period.

Finally, the Secretary-General argues that the transition to clean energy must be fair and equitable. At no point does he suggest that climate change causes load-shedding. He does not even use the term “climate change.”

The SG then proceeds to say that the just transition must be just. Logically, there is no basis to even remotely claim that the Secretary-General said climate change causes load-shedding, let alone that he does not even use the word climate change.

The African National Congress (ANC) has started to prevent the spread of misinformation caused by recent publications. The party intends to bring forward a formal complaint to the relevant authorities.

The ANC restates its stance on energy security and the just transition. We reiterate the position of the African National Congress on energy security and the just transition:

Our approach to energy security is guided by the Integrated Resource Plan, which envisages the usage of an optimal mix of energy sources such as coal, solar, wind, gas, nuclear, hydro and energy storage to maintain the security of the supply of electricity at the lowest cost to the South African economy. Besides focusing on the improvement of Eskom generation, rapid deployment of other electricity generation capacity alternatives must be provided.

These should include fast-tracking and other short-term energy supply solutions. Just transition plans must be developed for all sectors of the economy and regions of the country, particularly for affected regions like Mpumalanga.

The investment plans of the Just Energy Transition Partnership should be effectively implemented, and further resources must be mobilised to fund electricity generation and transmission investments in a manner that includes both grants and highly concessional finance. Such finance should be structured to avoid worsening the country’s sovereign debt position.

The ANC calls upon media outlets to remain impartial and not take sides during the upcoming elections to maintain credibility.