22 Feb 2020

Lights out for Mboweni, Twitter lights up with outrage

Nicole McCain

If you’ve been surprised by the ever changing load shedding schedule this week, you're not alone - even Finance Minister Tito Mboweni has been left in the dark.

Mboweni took to social media to off-load about load shedding in the early hours on Saturday morning.

READ | SA should prepare for two more years of load shedding - Mantashe

It appears the outage caught the minister and his team at work drafting the budget speech, which is scheduled to be presented to Parliament on Wednesday.

As the Core Budget Speech drafting Team was working, load shedding! We had to adjourn! So frustrating. Ku Rough! But, the sun will rise tomorrow and we shall soldier on.
— Tito Mboweni (@tito_mboweni) February 21, 2020

Eskom's woes may have had more impact on the speech than delaying the writing - analysts are anticipating tax increases to cover the debt burden government faces after years of bailing out state owned entities.

However, sympathy for Mboweni was severely lacking as Twitter uses expressed their outrage.

Some suggested he use the downtime to contemplate the effect the rolling blackouts have had on small businesses.

Sir, at least you have the tax payer sponsoring you. Please spare a thought for small and medium businesses who are SUFFERING massive losses due to loadshedding as a result of your party's looting, and who does not have the tax payer or anyone else to help financially. Thank you
— Jeandré Lennox (@jeandre_lennox) February 21, 2020

But Minister, the load shedding is no longer a joke, the rise in retrenchments and unemployment can be largely attributed to load shedding, it has a multiple effect. Iknowso many businesses that have lost sales but have to pay rent and have closed down
— NtombiKaShuku (@ka_shuku) February 22, 2020

Other Twitter users felt the ruling party deserved to be inconvenienced by the load shedding.

If there are people who deserve loadshedding, it's y'all ANC people in power, it's all bcos of y'all!
— MzantsiNative????? (@OwaseMzantsi) February 21, 2020

But you had the schedule, courtesy of the ANC, and if you cannot plan your time then i am nervous about the budget plan
— Sharron van Greunen (@SharronvanGee) February 22, 2020

But some social media users offered a range of solutions, from promoting their alternative energy companies to the most obvious – fixing Eskom.

Fix Eskom, finish loadshedding. Problem solved.
— The Dutchmen (@TheDutchmen4) February 21, 2020

Dear Min Tito. We all know the sun will rise. But the question is: will Eskom??

— Anton (@Anton49119928) February 22, 2020

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