African National Congress (ANC) secretary general Fikile Mbalula has said that his party welcomes the announcement of a Ministry of Electricity in The Presidency, as announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in the State of the Nation Address (SoNA) on Thursday.

Addressing the media on Friday, Mbalula said the ANC hoped that the new ministry would tackle the energy crisis currently engulfing South Africa.

The President’s address, which had faced criticism, was about building hope where there was despair and about showing a way out of the crisis working together, he added.

Mbalula said the ANC was pleased that the programmes announced by Ramaphosa were mainly informed by the resolutions adopted at the ANC’s fifty-fifth National Conference and the party’s Lekgotla.

He said this year’s SoNA addressed the most immediate tasks which included drastically reducing the severity of loadshedding and its impact on the economy and society.  

He added that the new Ministry was in no way a departure from the ANC resolution to transfer Eskom to the Mineral and Energy Ministry headed by Minister Gwede Mantashe.

Meanwhile, the ANC also welcomed the announcement of a National State of Disaster to tackle the energy crisis.

"We are determined to work with the people of South Africa to ensure that the ANC-led government takes necessary measures to tackle poverty, unemployment, inequality, the rising cost of living, crime and corruption. To move towards a 'growing people' economy we have to rapidly build an inclusive economy which must enable thriving black and women industrialists as well as small businesses and cooperatives," Mbalula said.

He said this required a massive, effective and sustainable skills revolution which would strengthen the link between the skills that the country developed and the skills workplaces needed.

Mbalula said SoNA also strengthened the resolve to lift people out of poverty and unemployment through a social impact wage which included a public employment programme and social grants, which he said had proven to be a lifeline for the livelihoods of many South Africans.

He warned that the ANC would be watching that all promises tabled were met otherwise "heads must roll".