South Africa: Rebuttal to Daily Investor article on agreements signed by Minister of Electricity

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The article published on 27 August 2023 by Daily Investor titled “Ramokgopa accused of misleading South Africa” is in itself misleading.

The Ministry of Electricity has noted numerous inaccuracies in the article that qualify the article as misleading.

It states that Minister Ramokgopa signed a joint memorandum of understanding with eight Chinese companies during the 15th BRICS Summit to ensure that all public health facilities, schools, and police stations in South Africa have alternative sources of energy.

This is factually incorrect as the Memorandum of Cooperation signed with eight Chinese companies focuses on enhancing South Africa's energy security through infrastructure and technology development, human capital development, and research amongst other objectives.

The substance of the agreement that Daily Investor is reporting about, instead, relates to the Exchange of Letters and resultant Technical Assistance Programme, under which the emergency equipment will be donated by the Chinese Government to South Africa.  

This agreement, unlike what the Daily Investor incorrectly reported, was signed during the People’s Republic of China’s Head of State Visit to South Africa at the Union Buildings on 22 August 2023, not in Johannesburg.

Under the programme the first shipment of equipment will include 450 petrol generators, which will be deployed to critical facilities, including hospitals and clinics.

The Minister has been consistent in stating that the facilities will be identified by Provinces.

Furthermore, the details and potential benefits of the Memorandum of Cooperation signed with the eight Chinese companies were not in any way scanty, as purported by Hilton Trollip in the article, instead the substance and details of the agreement were openly presented during an open signing ceremony attended by media.

Mr Trollip’s misleading inaccuracies, as expressed in the article, could have been countered with facts, had the Daily Investor given the Ministry a right to reply before publishing a one sided article.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency: Republic of South Africa.