Ramaphosa to black industrialists: Govt is addressing load shedding
The assurance comes from President Cyril Ramaphosa who’s addressed delegates at the black industrialists and exporters conference in Sandton on Wednesday.
- Eskom
- Cyril Ramaphosa
- Load shedding
JOHANNESBURG – A gathering of black industrialists has been assured that government is focused on cushioning the effects of load shedding.
The assurance comes from President Cyril Ramaphosa, who’s addressed delegates at the Black Industrialists and Exporters Conference in Sandton on Wednesday.
It’s the first conference since the programme was launched in 2015 and brings together small and medium business owners to showcase progress by government in promoting access to the economy.
Funders from as far afield as China and the United States are also in attendance to link local businesses to a bigger pool of capital.
Since its inception in 2015, the programme has supported more than 800 black industrialists, including new entrants, women, as well as the youth in a variety of competitive industries.
Ramaphosa has hailed the programme for the strides it’s made, but he’s also raised some concern around hurdles still faced by black businesses.
Structural defects are among the issues businesses are grappling with.
Ramaphosa has admitted load shedding is another hurdle: “We need to act decisively and urgently to end the load shedding that is causing such damage to our economy and such disruption to our society. Like every other actor in the economy, black industrialists can simply not grow without a reliable supply of affordable energy.”
He has vowed to bolster efforts to ensure a reliable energy landscape, reiterating plans to secure new generation capacity.
