Africa-Press – South-Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa has approved a “memorandum of understanding” between Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan and Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa to “clarify” their respective roles with power utility Eskom.
The memorandum has become necessary due to significant crossover and confusion around which minister holds power over which function when it comes to Eskom and ending the load shedding crisis in South Africa.
Gordhan, as the representative shareholder of Eskom has been the main point of contact between the government and the Eskom board – yet Ramokgopa has been mandated to resolve the power crisis, which needs the deep involvement of the Eskom board.
This disconnect has made it challenging for any significant progress to be made in resolving the power crisis.
Through the memorandum, the presidency said that Gordhan and Ramokgopa’s roles have been clarified, and that the ministers will work collaboratively.
The memorandum outlines the roles and responsibilities of the Minister of Electricity as follows:
The memorandum takes into account the Eskom Memorandum of Incorporation, which makes it obligatory to inform the Minister of Public Enterprises of critical decisions in this respect.
The MoU stipulates that the Minister of Public Enterprises will:
The memorandum makes provision for regular review meetings between the Ministers to address any impediments to the implementation of the MoU. The Ministers will also have regular review meetings with the President.
“While significant progress has been made in reducing the severity of load shedding, much work still needs to be done to guarantee a secure supply of electricity. The collaborative approach outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding will further strengthen Eskom’s efforts to resolve the electricity crisis,” Ramaphosa said.
The arrangement outlined in the MoU will be operational until the end of the current administration.
For More News And Analysis About South-Africa Follow Africa-Press
