Mashatile says there will be no load shedding by year-end

Deputy President Paul Mashatile says there will be no load shedding by the end of the year.

However, he has yet to explain what will be done to end load shedding, which has decimated the economy and forced many small businesses to close.

Mashatile said this during a public lecture focusing on 30 years of democracy at the University of Johannesburg, where he told delegates that the Electricity Minister, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, had plans to end load shedding.

‘INVEST IN GENERATION BUILD NEW POWER STATIONS,’ SAYS MASHATILE

“I said to him, no you are not working yourself out of a job, once you have ended load shedding you must plan for the next ten years. You must invest in generation, make sure that Eskom builds new power stations, ensure that renewables are implemented solar, wind, making sure that they can power,” said Mashatile according to SABC News.

“So, there are various initiatives which must come into the mainstream. I said to him your job is not ending when you end load shedding this year,” he added.

The deputy president said that the government was determined to intervene to resolve water challenges across the country before they reached the crisis point, as witnessed in the energy sector.

Mashatile said he had been appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa to lead a task team which will comprise of all ministers related to the water sector as well as individuals and groups that can assist in finding a lasting solution for the country’s water challenges.

TASK TEAM TO END WATER CRISIS STARTING IN KZN – MASHATILE

“This water task team will meet this evening and we will start going to all provinces but we will start this week in KZN particularly eThekwini there are various reasons why we have started to have water problems and one of the reasons is the aging infrastructure,” he said.

“So, this is a task that we regard as urgent, and we are going to work hard so that we don’t reach another crisis. We have had load shedding, we don’t want a water crisis,” Mashatile added.

Mashatile said the Department of Water and Sanitation Department had already allocated R10.1 billion to municipalities through the regional bulk infrastructure grant, R6.4 billion through the water services infrastructure grant, and R1.4 billion through the municipal recovery disaster grant to address water challenges.

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