Last Friday, on 16 May 2008, the ANC hosted a National Energy Summit. That summit was attended by representatives of civil society, organised labour, business and government. They engaged each other to achieve an effective joint approach to the electricity emergency which is facing South Africa. Indeed the summit recognised that the poor and the workers will be unable to afford electricity at the Eskom 53% tariff hikes.
In mobilising stakeholders from every sector of society, the ANC was able to generate an environment that pursued a constructive review. Delegates at the summit were generally in favour of smoothing up the process rather than the imposition of yet another shock to the people, especially the poor, and to the economy. We welcome this phased-in approach of long-term costs which will minimize the price burden on the poor and the economy in general. In this way, the poor and working people will continue to have access to affordable electricity.
This mobilisation of stakeholders from all sectors of society recalls the campaign that brought about the Freedom Charter and the process that led to the Reconstruction and Development Programme, RDP. The ANC recognises that only by mobilising national support can our national goals of poverty eradication, employment creation and dynamic economic growth and a developmental state be achieved. I thank you.