SOPA 2023: Opposition says speech failed to highlight IPPs
Reaction has been streaming in to Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube’s State of Province Address on Friday.
Dube-Ncube reflected on the state of the province, and plans to stimulate the local economy.
She also announced that a panel of energy experts will be appointed to accelerate the implementation of the master plan in the province’s response to the electricity crisis.
Action SA's Zwakele Mncwango says the Premier missed an opportunity to expand on the role of independent power producers.
"We were hoping the premier will talk about independent power producers because we can't keep relying on Eskom, we can't keep injecting money into Eskom. So if we are still going to build any infrastructure to inject power into a grid, we are wasting money. We should talk about attracting IPPs so we can resurrect the province from this plummeting energy," says Mncwango.
Drama also unfolded at the legislature when the EFF was forced to leave the house.
However the party's provincial leader, Mongezi Thwala, says they were targeted for challenging claims made by provincial government around housing those displaced during the floods.
"We could not sit in that sitting and listen to the premier who unprovoked went to national assembly and lied that the flood victims and government of the ANC assisted our people after the flood devastation. So we are holding the premier accountable," says Thwala.
