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Daily Maverick
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
ANC succession battle — the pros and cons of the top candidates vying for Ramaphosa's job
While it is unclear who will take over from President Cyril Ramaphosa as leader of the ANC, their ability to win votes will be extremely important. It may be constructive to examine what five of the most likely candidates would bring to the electorate. As our politics becomes more competitive than ever before, the identity of the leader of each party has become more important. One of President Cyril Ramaphosa's great strengths when he became leader of the ANC was that he was more popular than the party. The ANC itself said that he played a major role in helping it win the 2019 election (this was hugely contested at the time, and the then secretary-general, Ace Magashule, was forced to publicly disavow his comment that Ramaphosa had not played an important role). Ramaphosa's deteriorating popularity among voters, partly due to his inaction against corruption, and the Phala Phala scandal, might well have played a role in the ANC's dramatic decline last year. This shows how important the vote-winning ability of a new ANC leader will be. While it is not clear who will contest the position at the ANC's electoral conference in 2027, there is plenty of well-informed speculation that candidates could include Deputy President Paul Mashatile, International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa and the ANC secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula. Paul Mashatile There is little evidence that Mashatile has broad support among the electorate. His apparent inability to communicate a distinct message during his time as Deputy President suggests he is finding it difficult to create space in which to move. This could be a function of the position he holds. Deputy presidents are often subject to intense scrutiny, and people look for evidence of their ambition for the top job, which could be why he has not, so far, articulated a particular vision. Mashatile's public speeches in English are often stilted. His answers to parliamentary questions are, frankly, boring. He does not say anything new, and his delivery comes across as wooden. As a result of having no apparent message, the narrative around him is dominated by claims that he has benefited from fishy financial deals. He has failed to properly and publicly condemn the violence used by his security officers when they assaulted the occupants of a vehicle on the N1 highway. It is difficult to imagine him crafting a coherent message as the leader of the ANC. On the election trail he probably won't provide much help to the party. His position as Deputy President means he doesn't have responsibility for any particular portfolio. However, for the contenders Lamola, Ramokgopa and Mchunu, what happens on their watch reflects on their public images. Ronald Lamola The minister of international relations and cooperation is a high-profile position — but it is overshadowed by the President. In some instances, for example, SA's genocide case against Israel, Lamola has been able to take the lead. However, in the hardest and most high-profile issue, dealing with the Trump administration, Ramaphosa has taken over. What Lamola does have, almost uniquely in the ANC, is the ability to connect with younger voters. His age (41) makes him one of the youngest leaders in the party. He is relatively unscathed by the scandals that have surrounded so many people in the party. That said, if he were to undergo more scrutiny, he would have to answer questions about how his law firm failed to notice the massive corruption at the National Lotteries Commission, when it was tasked with investigating it. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa The public perception of Ramokgopa is entirely linked to load shedding. He is an excellent communicator and has ensured that he, the government and Eskom have controlled the narrative whenever load shedding is instituted. He is associated with the successes in dealing with load shedding — and also the failures. He will also appeal to voters who want a technocratic face for the ANC. He can give the impression to black professionals that he is one of them, that he speaks their language and can get things done. Sipho Mchunu Mchunu appeals to a slightly different constituency. Crucially for him and the ANC, he could win back voters in KwaZulu-Natal. This province voted for the ANC when former president Jacob Zuma was its leader, then appeared to move in the direction of the ANC and the IFP when Ramaphosa took over, only for large numbers to vote for Zuma's uMkhonto Wesizwe party in the last elections. Mchunu may well be able to develop a crucial constituency in this province for the ANC, where he was once its provincial secretary. Nationally, it would be a huge card in his favour if he were seen to be leading a successful effort to reduce violent crime. However, the problem of SA's crime is so large and is so intertwined with aspects of our politics that Mchunu is unlikely to be able to make much difference. Fikile Mbalula Mbalula, of course, is not in government. It is his position as secretary-general of the party that might give him the edge in any internal ANC race. In the past, the position of secretary-general has been shaped by the personality occupying it. Gwede Mantashe imbued the office with huge authority, while Kgalema Motlanthe had more of a quiet legitimacy. Lately, Mbalula has appeared to be trying to portray more of a sober appearance than in previous years. However, it is unlikely that voters have forgotten what happened when he was transport minister and how he was responsible for so many missteps. As previously pointed out, Mbalula has a history of running his mouth off. People are unlikely to have forgotten how he tweeted that he had 'Just landed in Ukraine', or that he had taken Prasa into administration with no legal authority to do so, or that he used such vulgar language when talking to taxi drivers that the SA Council of Churches was moved to to make a public comment. Or that he was found by a Public Protector to have received a paid holiday from a sporting goods chain while minister of sport. These are the consequences of his long history in the public eye. It is unlikely that he can change the way the public views him. While it would be entirely rational to assume that ANC delegates would have the 2029 elections in mind when they vote for the position of ANC leader, history shows that sometimes internal dynamics are more important. And the ANC appears to have done virtually nothing to win back votes since the polls last year. This suggests that the electability of candidates will not be the most important factor in the ANC's leadership election. DM
Daily Maverick
12 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Maverick
Nelson Mandela Bay council to decide this week if electricity tariff will rise by 12%
The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality will vote on the metro's proposed budget, which includes a 12% increase in electricity tariffs — along with rises for other municipal services. The discussion, however, comes as the Electricity and Energy Directorate finds itself in dire financial and governance straits, with funding still not forthcoming for repairs to the high voltage supply line, which provides power to a large part of the city. The Nelson Mandela Bay metro has admitted in its own Integrated Development Plan that it is to present before council this week that electricity outages in the metro are at an all-time high. Yet the budget for the 2025/2026 financial year proposes that consumers pay 12% more for electricity. The plan notes that the Average System Interruption Frequency Index, which measures how often the average customer experiences outages, has reached record levels, primarily due to high-voltage events. These are caused by cable faults, theft and vandalism of fibre cables that trigger unnecessary feeder trips. The document also notes that outages last longer, with forced load reductions worsening reliability indicators. Meanwhile, the metro's Electricity and Energy Directorate is in a financial crisis, operating at a R1.2-billion loss as it struggles to curb illegal connections, vandalism and the collapse of grid infrastructure. One visible example of municipal inaction is the Grogro informal settlement, where illegal electricity connections stretch across Kragga Kamma Road to a substation. These makeshift cables frequently catch fire. In a letter shared with residents, ward councillor Margaret de Andrade wrote, 'My office has engaged in numerous meetings with the relevant departments on this matter, and we have received commitments on several fronts. However, to date, there has been no meaningful feedback or coordinated action. 'As one of your officials previously stated, 'I have forgotten about Grogro'. 'If this sentiment reflects the current level of attention, it is deeply concerning and unacceptable given the gravity of the situation. 'Unrest risk imminent' 'This is no longer just an operational issue — it is a volatile crisis. The community is growing increasingly frustrated due to the lack of visible intervention, and tensions are rising. The risk of unrest, fires and harm to both residents and municipal staff is imminent. 'I strongly urge all departments to urgently coordinate and communicate with one another. We need immediate alignment between Electricity and Energy, Safety and Security, Legal Services, Human Settlements and Disaster Management.' In addition, according to the metro's reports, about 22% of residential electricity meters have been tampered with. In the proposed budget, it is stated: 'As previously reported to Council, it is important to note that the financial position of the Electricity Service is under immense pressure due to the extent of electricity losses, which impact significantly on the financial sustainability of the municipality. This is supported by the fact that the budget for Electricity Bulk Purchases exceeds the total Electricity Service Charges budget. This means that the Electricity Service, which is a Trading Service, is operating at a substantial deficit, requiring support from property rates.' The 12% proposed tariff hike still needs approval by the National Energy Regulator, and if granted, will kick in on 1 July. However, CEO of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber Denise van Huyssteen said they had not seen the metro's application to Nersa. This is the first year that Nersa will publish all applications on its website; the metro's application also doesn't appear there. Van Huyssteen pointed out that the manufacturing industry was the metro's largest electricity consumer (about 59%) and as a result, organised business in Nelson Mandela Bay would like to have more input on the electricity budget. Van Huyssteen warned that, at the current trajectory, there was a real risk that the municipality might default on its Eskom bulk electricity payments. She noted that if the increase remained capped at 12%, business was unlikely to oppose it. In 2022, the metro led litigation against Nersa, securing a ruling that the general guideline and benchmarking method the regulator had used to determine increases was unconstitutional. The metro argued that the municipality should be required to show Nersa how much it cost to distribute electricity bought from Eskom. Van Huyssteen said programmes such as the geyser control initiative should be reinstated, as it had collapsed. 'We want to add that the municipality needs the urgent support of Eskom to fix its infrastructure,' she said. An additional threat to the metro's electricity security is the temporary repairs to the high-voltage line that collapsed last year. In April, one of the pylons partially collapsed again, damaging the temporary fix. Ward councillors Sean Tappan and Dries van der Westhuyzen said earlier this month that there was now a temporary repair to the temporary repair.
IOL News
3 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
How Mulilo and Scatec are transforming SA's power grid with a R9. 5 billion battery storage bid
nister of Electricity and Energy, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has announced Mulilo and Scatec as the preferred bidders Image: Jairus Mmutle/GCIS Minister of Electricity and Energy, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has announced Mulilo and Scatec as the preferred bidders for the country's third bid window of the battery energy storage program. The program aims to help increase the country's electricity grid capacity and improve energy security. Last month, IOL reported that Ramokgopa announced a plan to address the country's ongoing energy crisis through private sector involvement in transmission infrastructure development. He explained that the existing transmission network was unable to keep up with the country's growing renewable energy generation, particularly in areas such as the Northern and Western Cape. The battery storage program, initiated in March 2024, is designed to store excess electricity generated primarily from solar power during the day and release it during peak demand times in the morning and evening. In a press briefing on Friday, Ramokgopa confirmed that South African company Mulilo and Norwegian company Scatec have been chosen as the preferred bidders. 'For the site, the substation, that is Lienda, we have Scatec, who is a preferred developer. For Theseus, Everest, Harvard, and Merapi, we're happy to announce that Mulilo, which is a domestic outfit, has been identified as a preferred bidder.' 'I think what is significant about this round that we are announcing is that we are seeing that more and more South African companies are putting their hand up, and they are very competitive.' The program is expected to add 616 megawatts of battery storage capacity across five sites in the Free State province. Ramokgopa added that this investment will total R9.5 billion, including R3.7 billion in local content, supporting the country's economy by creating jobs and encouraging black ownership. The projects are expected to start commercial operations by January 2028. He further stressed the benefits for consumers and industries, adding that the country was making progress towards energy security. 'Once we bring down the cost of electricity, households won't face runaway tariff increases, and businesses will be more competitive. "This battery storage program is part of South Africa's broader plan to increase renewable energy while keeping coal as the backbone of the grid. We are making steady progress toward energy security and a greener future.' he said. IOL Business Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.
eNCA
15-05-2025
- Climate
- eNCA
Eskom's winter outlook remains positive
JOHANNESBURG - The latest power cuts are not due to a lack of generation capacity, but rather poor planning. That's according to Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa. He assured South Africans this winter will be better than last year, despite the recent disruptions. Ramokgopa said
The South African
14-05-2025
- Business
- The South African
Optimism remains high for load shedding-free winter
Despite the reintroduction of evening peak load shedding this week, Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has expressed confidence in a load shedding-free winter, citing structural improvements and additional generation capacity coming online. Speaking at a media briefing in Pretoria on Wednesday, Ramokgopa reaffirmed Eskom's Winter 2025 outlook, assuring South Africans that the power utility is entering the colder months on a stronger footing than the previous year. 'We are entering this winter confidently,' he stated. 'Koeberg Unit 2 was synchronised to the grid on 30 December 2024, and Unit 1 is projected to return by July 2025, at the peak of winter.' Additional support is also coming from Kusile Unit 6, which was added to the grid in March, bringing in around 800MW of capacity. Medupi Unit 4, previously offline, is also expected to contribute to winter generation this year. 'From a structural point of view, we've added approximately 2 500MW to the grid compared to last year,' Ramokgopa said. 'That's why we were bullish and optimistic about the prospects of a load shedding-free winter – or at worst, Stage 2 load shedding.' Eskom reintroduced stage 2 load shedding during evening peaks this week due to the delayed return of generation units from planned maintenance (3 120MW) and unplanned breakdowns amounting to another 1 385MW. Total losses breached 13 000MW, the threshold beyond which load shedding becomes unavoidable. While not due to poor engineering, Ramokgopa acknowledged that mismanagement of scheduling and planning played a role in the lapse. 'We were supposed to taper down planned maintenance significantly, and that has not occurred. That's a planning function, and we have not carried ourselves well in that regard,' the minister said. Ramokgopa indicated that consequence management may be necessary moving forward. 'There has to be accountability if units are not returned as promised. We've made resources available, and delays affect national reliability,' he stated, noting that 'hard and candid conversations' are being held with Eskom's executive team. The minister offered a public apology for the current outages but reiterated that the technical state of the grid is not the root cause. 'It's really not about engineering performance. It's how the situation has been managed. We are committed to correcting that,' he assured. As South Africa heads into winter, Ramokgopa's department remains focused on maintaining system stability, returning key units to service on schedule, and ensuring a more consistent power supply – while learning from the planning failures of recent weeks. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
