EFF leader Julius Malema has proposed that former Eskom executives with skills and qualifications come back and intervene in the ongoing power crisis.
In conversation with Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh on Unfiltered, Malema explained the importance of seeking help from those who were there before.
“When you are in a crisis, you call for any help you can get. And I have not said Brian (Molefe) can single-handedly resolve that problem. I said to call everyone with the necessary skill and qualifications to come and help us at Eskom, including Brian.
“But because we want to enjoy the negativity, we stick to Brian. You'll leave all the other names that I've said must come and make the intervention.
“So what we need to stick with now is switching on the lights. Can Brian and others who were there before come and help us to switch on the lights? If the answer is ‘yes’, let them come and switch on the lights. And that's what we should stick with,” Malema said.
The EFF has been at the forefront of voices raised about load shedding.
In March, they painted the country red when they took to the streets, calling for interventions on load shedding. They shut the country down to further table other pressing issues plaguing the country.
The shutdown was also to speak out against high levels of crime, gender-based violence, unemployment, and the lack of service delivery in South Africa.
They also called for the resignation of President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Thanking people who rallied behind the shutdown afterwards, Malema revealed that the testament to the success of the National Shutdown was that Eskom was able to suspend load shedding due to lower-than-anticipated demand for electricity on that day.
With the power crisis serving as a crucial subject in the country, all eyes have been on Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, who brought a glimmer of hope when he was appointed.
Ramokgopa, who occupies a challenging seat, revealed that he was merely a ‘project manager’ with no executive powers during a TV interview this week.
This as his appointment has been received with some objections, as different organisations continued to say they awaited plans and resolutions to end load shedding.
The Star
anita.nkonki@inl.co.za