NCOP deputy chair’s load shedding comment ‘out of line’

Deputy chair of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) Sylvia Lucas was excoriated yesterday after she said load shedding wasn’t the end of the world.

Speaking in Afrikaans in parliament during the debate about the State of the Nation Address, Lucas suggested the higher stage of load shedding after the president’s speech was due to sabotage.

“Load shedding isn’t the end of the world,” she said. “President [Cyril Ramaphosa], as soon as you talk about load shedding, there is sabotage, we must look into that.”

‘Careless statement’

Political analyst Ntsikelelo Breakfast said this was “a careless statement” and Lucas was out of line.

“Power outages [are] really an inconvenience. It’s like they are downplaying the effects of power outages,” Breakfast said.

“Our economy has not been growing the way it should. It has had national consequences.

“So, to downplay it means you’re taking it lightly.

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“How many people have lost jobs because of power outages? How many businesses have been destroyed by the power outages?”

ANC destroyed the 1994 dream – opposition

Opposition MPs said the ANC had destroyed the dream of 1994 as they spoke in parliament.

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen said the president’s “child of democracy” Tintswalo over the past decade had watched in horror as the dream of her childhood was betrayed.

“Tintswalo is done waiting for the ANC to change. She has accepted that it never will,” he said.

Steenhuisen said the DA would “rescue” SA through “concrete reforms and legislation”.

“Firstly, parliament will be fixed. Secondly, load shedding will be ended through privatisation, [then] cadre deployment will be ended, [before the party works at] halving the rate of violent crime, including murder, attempted murder and gender-based violence, and growing the economy to create jobs while protecting social grants.”

Steenhuisen said: “The single greatest threat to our democracy, to our freedom and to the South African dream is the ANC.

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“Load shedding and water shedding are existential threats to our freedom. Rampant crime is an existential threat to our freedom. Corruption and state capture that steals food from the mouths of the poor, is an existential threat to our freedom.

“A president who protects his deputy, despite [Jacob] Zuma-level allegations of corruption and capture is an existential threat to our freedom.”

Could not undo damage done by apartheid

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe said they could not undo the damage done by apartheid in 30 years.

“Many people who criticise our government, including some in this parliament, argue that we must have done everything within 30 years and never refer to the atrocities of the apartheid government,” he said.

“We are going to undo the apartheid system. Cadre deployment changed the situation where every DG [director-general], judge, mayor, was a white male.”

Breakfast’s response was that “the ANC blew the opportunity they had” and “is taking advantage of our legacy of apartheid”.

DA MP Ashor Sarupen said Mantashe doubling down on cadre deployment showed who the ANC’s real constituents were – “not the millions of people looking for jobs, but politically connected cadres and BEE [black economic empowerment] billionaires”.

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‘Who destroyed Eskom?’

Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Groenewald said 20 years ago, Eskom was one of the best power utilities in the world.

“Who destroyed Eskom? The ANC destroyed Eskom,” he said, with Ramaphosa at the head of the utility’s war room.

Groenewald said when Ramaphosa became president, the unemployment rate was 24%, it was now 32%; the murder rate was 35 per 100 000 people, now it was 45/100 000.

Bantu Holomisa, United Democratic Movement (UDM) president, called ANC MPs and Ramaphosa “thieves”.

A R10 billion fund to assist former mineworkers infected with chronic diseases such as TB and silicosis was announced last year yet people were still awaiting payments.

Provincial roads were poorly maintained, and vehicles and tourism were suffering.

“The UDM wants to make an argument that provincial roads be placed under the care of Sanral as the provincial governments are dismally failing,” he said.

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