Mantashe doubles down: Loadshedding can be over by year-end – but take Karpowership ‘seriously’

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe still believes loadshedding could be over by the end of the year if emergency power procurement through Karpowership, along with other measures, are taken “seriously”. The minister said in an interview with Talk Radio 702’s Clement Manyathela on Tuesday morning that by rejecting Karpowership, “Eskom must not pretend to be having electricity when it does not”. “Loadshedding can be attended to effectively and be reduced – almost eliminated if we focus on the right things,” Mantashe said, explaining that these measures involve re-looking at Karpowership, improving the energy availability factor of stations, and importing energy from neighbouring countries. Earlier this year, in an interview with eNCA, Mantashe said that loadshedding could be addressed in six to 12 months. At Davos this year, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana similarly said it would take 12 to 18 months to say “loadshedding is a thing of the past”. After his comments on Tuesday, Manyathela confronted Mantashe with comments by Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa that ending loadshedding soon was not technically possible.