Staged? ‘Load shedding’ strikes during Minister of Electricity interview

It was a moment of sheer irony – or a case of satire – when load shedding struck during a live televised interview with the Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramakgopa over the weekend.

The man designated with ensuring uninterrupted electricity 

LIGHTS GO OUT DURING MINISTER OF ELECTRICITY’S INTERVIEW

Speaking to Newzroom Afrika, Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramakgopa apologised to South Africans for rolling out load shedding over the weekend.

The minister – a qualified engineer – appeared to be speaking live from his residence.

Ramakgopa revealed that his department had put together an “aggressive strategy” to end national power cuts. 

Midway through the interview, the lights went out at the Minister’s house, who confirmed that he was experiencing load shedding.

“There are no exceptions,” he light-heartedly added of the questionable timing.

Take a look at the clip and full interview below…

DO MINISTERS REALLY EXPERIENCE LOAD SHEDDING?

While the Minister of Electricity made light of the incident – pardon the pun – South Africans on social media questioned the validity of his load shedding claims.

@African_Spring: “Ministers have generators; we all know this. He needs to quit clowning. We’re not his friends”.

@PapoWealth: “So they switched off the lights in the room? We’re not stupid.”

@PostiveImpact89: “Give him an Oscar award.”

According to BusinessLive, in a report released in 2023, the Department of Public Works spent R7.04m procuring and installing generators and inverters in state-owned houses for ministers and deputy ministers in Pretoria. Ministers who stayed in these homes experienced no load shedding.

However, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni clarified that this was not the case for ministers who lived in private residences.

IOL reported that cabinet ministers earn over R2.7 million per annum, while their deputies earn around R2,2 million per annum.

Then, there are the perks of being in office. This includes:

• Free water, electricity, and generators
• Living in a state-owned residence, which includes domestic help
• Luxury car allowance for professional and private use
• First-class flights for official trips and economy flights for family members
• Hotel accommodation and catering when on official business
• VIP protection, including blue-light brigades
• “Out-of-pocket expenses”

DO YOU THINK THE MINISTER OF ELECTRICITY REALLY EXPERIENCED LOAD SHEDDING?

Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1.

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