TOPIC
Lateral thinking: Solving South Africa’s energy crisis
SA’s GDP growth has been severely impacted by prolonged periods of loadshedding. As a further measure to address the electricity crisis, President Ramaphosa introduced a Ministry of Electricity in The Presidency, with Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa at its helm.
Less than two months on the job, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa will provide his opinion on what’s necessary to resolve the crisis. For him, his primary focus in the immediate future is to turn around the performance of existing power stations and stabilise energy supply while adding new capacity to the grid. What will he need to be successful in his aims?
BIOGRAPHY
Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa was appointed the Minister in the Presidency: Electricity in March 2023. His mandate is to “drive the government’s programme of significantly reducing the severity and frequency of load shedding as a matter of urgency” and to ensure the full implementation of the Energy Action Plan.
He previously worked in the Presidency of South Africa as the Head of Infrastructure from 2019 to 2023 and served as the mayor of Tshwane from 2016-2019. He was also a Member of the Executive Council in the Gauteng provincial government in 2019.
He holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering, an MBA and a PhD in Public Affairs.
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