Joint meeting between Limpopo Provincial Government and Ministry of Electricity and Energy

Premier of Limpopo, Dr. Phophi Ramathuba and Minister of Electricity and Energy Dr. Kgosientso Ramokgopa convened a joint meeting at Bolivia Lodge on the 10th of February 2025 to address electricity challenges in the Limpopo province.

“We are pleased with the effort took by the Ministry of Electricity and Energy to consider the province for initiatives and programmes that will support municipalities to tackle issues of electricity load reduction, and challenges regarding revenue collection,” said Dr. Phophi Ramathuba.

In addition, Dr. Phophi Ramathuba echoed that local government is the hub of service provision in the country and it is critical to capacitate local government with technology and pertinent skills that will support municipalities to accelerate service delivery and contribute to revenue collection.

Minister Ramokgopa said it is imperative to spend 80% of time analysing and understanding the problem and 20% in execution. He presented a comprehensive strategy to resolve load reduction in the country and programmes to support municipal electricity businesses.

Currently, Limpopo municipalities collectively owe Eskom R1.6 billion. However, Dr. Kgosientso Ramokgopa says he appreciates Limpopo’s efforts to reduce Eskom debts compared to other provinces that owe Eskom over R100 billion.

He also mentioned how they have made significant strides in reducing load-shedding, and that their primary focus is on eliminating load reduction and working together with municipalities in generating their own electricity.

Amongst others, the joint meeting was attended by Executive Mayors, Municipal Managers, Chief Financial Officers, and Heads of Department.DM