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Mashaba: Load shedding causes poverty

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ActionSA president Herman Mashaba and party members picketed outside the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy in Sunnyside, Tshwane on Wednesday, 6 March. Photo by Raymond Morare
ActionSA president Herman Mashaba and party members picketed outside the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy in Sunnyside, Tshwane on Wednesday, 6 March. Photo by Raymond Morare

ACTIONSA president, Herman Mashaba and party members picketed outside the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy in Sunnyside, Tshwane on Wednesday, 6 March.

Mashaba was scheduled to submit the Integrated Resources Plan at the department but alleged that department officials refused to receive the memorandum.

Mashaba said his party would submit it electronically. He said load shedding has led South Africans into poverty and high levels of crime.

He said in 2023, South Africans experienced 332 days of rolling blackouts with a mere 33 days without blackouts the whole year.

ActionSA President Herman Mashaba with party membe
ActionSA members picketed outside the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy in Sunnyside, Tshwane. Photo by Raymond Morare

"After 17 years when load shedding was first introduced, the governing party has been able to handle it, while the intensity has continued to escalate," he said.

Mashaba said the department refused to receive their memorandum. However, he said they will submit it electronically.

"Bring an end to cadre deployment at Eskom by ensuring the entity is staffed by highly skilled officials who are appointed based on merit and competence not political affiliation to the ANC. Combat crime in the energy system, we'll improve security measures to protect South Africa's grid against cable theft and infrastructure damage."

Mashaba said under ActionSA, vandalism of public property would be classified as economic sabotage and criminally prosecuted accordingly.

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"We'll ensure that hospitals, clinics, fire stations and police stations are spared from load shedding so that the frontline services can be provided with uninterupted electricity," he said.

He said decentralised micro grids are the future of energy, especially for rural communities. "We'll push for municipalities to decrease their reliance on Eskom by using micro grids powered by renewable energy sources.

"We'll also provide tax incentives for solar panel installations and will invest in supplying low-income communities with universal access to roof top solar panels and solar-powered geysers," said Mashaba.

Mashaba called upon South Africans to vote the governing party out of power.

ActionSA Gauteng chairman, Funzi Ngobeni said: "We know the ANC has deployed cadres to mess up Eskom." 

This is a developing story.

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