Private land will be expropriated with compensation to expand Eskom's infrastructure: Ramokgopa

JOHANNESBURG - The electricity ministry says it will expropriate privately-owned land and compensate the owners to expand Eskom’s infrastructure over the next few years.  

Minister of Electricity and Energy Kgosientsho Ramokgopa briefed the media on Tuesday morning on a 10-year plan to upgrade crucial infrastructure.  

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The project requires a R440 billion investment, a figure the National Treasury said it simply couldn't afford.  

Despite the National Treasury’s funding rejection, Ramokgopa said this is an opportune time for the private sector to step in.  

The pilot phase aims to add over 1,600 kilometres of electricity lines and dozens of transformers, laying the foundation for 14,000 kilometres of new power infrastructure over the next decade.  

Asked about challenges like private land and tough terrain, Ramokgopa said expropriation with compensation would go ahead.  

“We will exhaust what is in the law, and ultimately, if you do not agree, we will expropriate. It is nothing new, and then we will compensate at the level that we would have determined.”  

The minister insisted landowners refusing to cooperate will not slow the project down.