The Multi-Party Charter (MPC) has laid out its plans on ending load shedding should it be elected to national government after the 2024 elections. The MPC comprising of 11 political parties held a press briefing outside the Kelvin Power Station in Kempton Park on Wednesday.
The MPC has proposed a three-pronged approach to end load shedding. This includes reforming Eskom, establishing an open energy market, and ensuring a just transition to a renewable future.
Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen says one of the charter’s specific plans is to expedite the unbundling process of Eskom to produce a separate transmission company.
“Expedite the unbundling process of Eskom to produce a separate transmission company which will be a standalone grid and market operator. This is a fundamentally crucial first step because a separate independent transmission company will break Eskom’s monopolistic strangle hold over the grid, enabling an open competitive generation market with a wide and diverse range of variety of energy suppliers.”
Abolish Electricity Ministry
Steenhuisen says the MPC will also abolish the Electricity Ministry. The Ministry of Electricity headed by Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa was established last year by President Cyril Ramaphosa, in an effort to put an end to the energy crisis.
But Steenhuisen says that this department has produced little results.
“This ministry has produced little tangible results towards resolving the electricity crisis. The Minister or project manager as the ANC call him had a lot to say about the increased supply. What he did not tell you is that the bulk of that new energy coming into that sector is by Independent Power Producers and people going off grid themselves. This ministry has not added value to date, and it is simply layering yet another strata of salaries, bureaucracy.”
Just energy transition
Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Groenewald says that the MPC has also agreed on the need to ensure a just transition to a renewable energy future that will not result in job losses nor place energy security at risk.
“Collaborating with domestic and international partners to achieve a rapid and just energy transition from coal to cleaner and more diversified sustainable energy sources. Retaining and reskilling individuals currently working in the coal sector ensuring that the socio-economic impact on the transition is justly managed.”
Meanwhile, Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) leader Velenkosini Hlabisa has slammed the ANC-led government for load shedding. He says that the reason why President Ramaphosa proclaimed the elections to be in May, is that they will not coincide with higher stages of load shedding.
“ This is why the government has pushed for an election day in May despite not having passed the necessary legislation in Parliament because it knows that the delays of the election any deeper into winter will coincide with higher stages of load shedding. While South Africans may have learned to live with stage two rolling blackouts, we should never accept this as normal.”
2024 Elections | Multi-Party Charter outlines plans to resolve Eskom’s energy crisis:
Energy crisis
Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has assured South Africans that Eskom is headed into the right direction in resolving the energy crisis, it is still not clear as to when South Africans can expect an end to the power crisis.
