ANC government goes extra mile to protect Cabinet Ministers from load-shedding (when it returns)
5 May 2024
The ANC government is not taking any chances and is doing everything possible to ensure that Cabinet Ministers are protected against load-shedding, when the power blackouts return. While the ongoing load-shedding holiday is a welcome relief for everyone, the ANC government has made sure that power backup systems at ministerial residences are maintained at peak performance levels.
A reply to a DA parliamentary question by the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Sihle Zikalala, has revealed that taxpayers recently forked out close to R1 million to replace generators at 3 ministerial residences at an average cost of R325 000 per generator.
The only generators sold at that price range are industrial grade generators which are used to deliver three-phase power to power industrial machinery. Unless Cabinet Ministers are running factories from their homes, generators of this size are completely unnecessary and a shocking abuse of taxpayer money.
For Ministers and Deputy Ministers who are still using their old generators, Zikalala confirmed that the DPWI pursues a systematic maintenance schedule that ensures that ‘all existing generators are kept in good working condition’. With Eskom warning that Stage 2 may be implemented during winter, based on its winter generation outlook, Cabinet Ministers are the only individuals in South Africa who are assured of constant power supply – paid for fully by the taxpayer.