POLL | Would you join a mass protest against load-shedding?

The ANC Youth League is planning to mobilise South Africans over the state of Eskom, spokesperson Sizophila Mkhize told TimesLIVE on Thursday.

Mkhize said implementation of stage 6 load-shedding exposed government's failure to act decisively and Eskom management's failure to turn the utility around. 

Mkhize said CEO Andre de Ruyter was incapable of leading the company and should be replaced, like other CEOs who failed before him. The inaction of the government in the face of the power supply crisis made theories about load-shedding being a manufactured crisis believable. 

“They're making us believe a theory that has always circulated, which is that they want to collapse and destroy Eskom so they can sell it. We don't want to believe that, but the manner in which they are behaving makes us believe they are creating these problems. There is no reason for us to have these issues.”

Mkhize said the youth league was as frustrated as all South Africans because their input has remained largely ignored by the governing party.

“Load-shedding is taking us back. We're done speaking to [the ANC leadership] nicely. We will mobilise young people and if we get suspended from the ANC, so be it. If we are accused of bringing the ANC into disrepute, so be it.” 

Mkhize said political parties should put aside their differences to confront this issue. 

“We are not fighting factional battles. We are fighting against load-shedding. South Africans are deliberately put in the dark by the incompetent leadership.”