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Cape Town – Energy Minister David Mahlobo said he would not apologise for having visited countries like Russia during his tenure as Intelligence Minister.
Mahlobo was responding to questions from members of Parliament’s portfolio committee on energy on Tuesday when he was asked by the Democratic Alliance’s Gavin Davis about a reported visit to Russia in 2014.
“There are reports saying you and President Jacob Zuma met Russian President Vladimir Putin at his residence in Russia,” Davis said. “Was it related to the inter-governmental agreement [on nuclear] signed a month later?”
Mahlobo responded, saying as former intelligence minister he was “fortunate enough to have big responsibilities”.
“I met Obama, the Russian president and the Chinese president. It was a privilege and an honour. Just know that under difficult times, countries like Russia, Cuba, Angola, Zambia and Tanzania trained our people for free.
"They took care of them when they were sick. Our fathers could even be buried in Moscow. I’m glad I’ve been there. It’s an honour. We know who we are and who our friends are.
“I love the people of Russia,” Mahlobo said, but did not answer the question about the intent of the visit.
READ: Claims of Zuma reshuffle after Russian meeting
Mahlobo was moved from the Intelligence portfolio to energy in a Cabinet reshuffle on October 18. The appointment is rumoured to have been a ploy by Zuma to fast-track the nuclear build programme.
The Energy Minister said he received a phone call from Zuma at 06:30 in the morning informing him of his appointment.
"This appointment of a minister – let’s not create stories and say there was a Russian involvement. The story changes depending on who’s telling it. The appointments of ministers or those who are reassigned is governed by the law - it's in the Constitution. I was appointed in that manner," Mahlobo said.
The Sunday Times reported in October that a high-level Russian delegation met with President Jacob Zuma just hours before last week’s unexpected Cabinet reshuffle, in an effort to implement a R1trn new nuclear build project deal. The Russian Embassy in South Africa denied the reports, calling them "fake news", "slanderous" and "tabloid-grade".
Why the rush?
During the Parliamentary briefing on Tuesday, Davis also asked Mahlobo why he seems to be in such a rush to conclude the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) which will stipulate South Africa’s energy needs and the volumes of different energy sources required.
Mahlobo’s predecessor Mmamoloko Kubayi said during her brief stint as energy minister that the final IRP will be concluded in February. Mahlobo, however, is reportedly pressurising officials at the Energy Department to have the plan ready by the end of November.
“Why the rush?” Davis asked. “What’s the difference between December and February? Why do you want it signed, sealed and delivered for the ANC conference? Does it have to do with the political machinations of the conference?”
READ: Mahlobo instructs officials to fast-track energy plan
Mahlobo said the ANC “wins elections” and “will do so again in 2019” and therefore he’ll take his guidance from his “home” – the ruling party.
He, however, denied “rushing” the IRP.
“Why spend ten months putting a document together?” Mahlobo said. “What do these people do? Should they sleep on the job?”
He said the IRP needs to be finalised now because investors and the South African people want certainty.
'There's no excess power'
Mahlobo also took issue with members of the committee who suggested that South Africa has “excess power” because of reduced demand. He suggested it should rather be called “reserve margin”.
“If we talk about excess power it doesn’t mean the energy is there. You don’t store energy. It’s kinetics. It’s always in motion.”
Mahlobo said if the economy performs at 2% today the energy system will “crash” as there won’t be enough energy generation to deal with all the demand.
“Each plant has capacity, but it differs from the actual output.”
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