Newly appointed Energy Minister Dipuo Peters on Wednesday outlined her short- to medium-term priorities for the sector.
Her address to a power conference in Cape Town was meant to be her debut speech as minister, but it was eventually delivered on her behalf after a lengthy delay, as she was attending the new Cabinet's first meeting at Tuynhuys.
The government would continue to strive for universal access to energy, with special emphasis on the rural poor, she said. "This will not only cover the electricity supply infrastructure and hardware, but also the operational cost associated with the poor households. "Regarding the latter, we will work closely with National Treasury and municipalities to make it happen within our available resources," Peters said.
The global economic slowdown should be viewed as a short-term scenario and the energy sector needed to plan carefully to allow it to respond quickly to the needs of a growing economy, she said.
Source: Mail & Guardian
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