'The end of load shedding is finally within reach,' says Ramaphosa in SONA
Delivering the last State of the Nation Address of this administration, Ramaphosa said the plan to end load shedding was already reducing the frequency of power cuts.
President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers his 2024 State of the Nation (SONA) at Cape Town City Hall on 8 February 2024. Picture: GCIS
CAPE TOWN - President Cyril Ramaphosa has once again promised the nation that load shedding will soon be a thing of the past.
A year since he announced the creation of a new Cabinet portfolio for an electricity minister, on Thursday night, Ramaphosa told the nation there’s light at the end of the tunnel.
Delivering the last State of the Nation Address of this administration, Ramaphosa said the plan to end load shedding was already reducing the frequency of power cuts.
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President Ramaphosa said that through the national energy crisis committee, government had delivered on commitments to get more electricity onto the national grid.
He highlighted debt relief to Eskom to allow for investments in maintenance and transmission infrastructure, the revival of the renewable energy programme and doubling rooftop solar capacity as among the efforts to counter the electricity crisis.
"Through all these actions, we are confident that the worst is behind us and the end of load shedding is finally within reach. But we are not stopping there to ensure we are not facing a similar crisis ever again."
Ramaphosa said reform in this sector would support the economy for future growth and allow for a revolution in green technologies.