‘It’s my job,’ says Ramaphosa as he hits back at critics of his UK visit amid SA's power crisis

President Cyril Ramaphosa has hit back at those who accused him of “gallivanting” while South Africa battles an electricity load-shedding crisis. 

“Much as I want to be present in the country all the time to address the challenges there are times when we have to let those who are supposed to do the work do their job,” Ramaphosa said on Thursday as his two-day visit to the UK concluded.

When he arrived in London on Monday, load-shedding was bumped up to stage 5. He was criticised and accused of “having tea” with King Charles III while South Africans were in the dark.

Speaking from South Africa House in central London, Ramaphosa said he was aware South Africans felt “abandoned”.

However, ministers and executives must be allowed to do their jobs without interference.

“I then do other work, which is put South Africa on the global map and advocate for increasing investments in our country, that is the job the head of state must do, supported by ministers. I brought four minister here [to the UK] who have been involved in a variety of actions and interventions to promote investment.”

His recent trips to attend the G20 and COP27 were “well announced and publicised” in advance.

“[In September] I went to the UN and we then came to the UK for the burial of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and after that we moved to a higher level of load-shedding and I shortened my trip and I went home to attend to the challenges.

“I have done that on two occasions and I have been heavily criticised for coming home [on] why do I abandon visits that could benefit South Africa, and this time around this visit to the UK was well-known and announced.

“Even as I left we had the challenge of increased load-shedding and it had to do with the diesel shortage, financial challenges which I am attending to with ministers.

“I have ministers whose job is to address these issues and once we have the framework such as the one we have in place to address our energy challenges, minister as well as the executives of those entities are meant to address that and I remain in constant contact, up to three to four times a day, being informed of what’s happening and putting forward proposals and taking decisions.

“The UK represents the biggest foreign direct investors in South Africa so we have to talk to them to invest more and participate in our transformation.

“This was also an opportunity to tell UK business of the just energy transition and inform them South Africa needs more funding from more developed countries, that they must live up to the commitments they made in Paris and COP26 and there should be compensation for damage to the climate,” said Ramaphosa.

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