Zama Khanyase
Image: FILE
Zama Khanyase has been elected as the new chairperson of Parliament's electricity and energy portfolio committee.
Khanyase was elected unopposed in a virtual meeting on Wednesday morning, called after recent membership changes left the position vacant.
It happened on the same day Eskom's electricity tariff hike of more than 8% took effect for direct customers, and petrol rose by R3.06 a litre while diesel jumped by more than R7 a litre — both matters that fall within the committee's oversight mandate.
The committee is currently in recess.
Khanyase, of the ANC, joined the National Assembly in late February, replacing Tsakani Shiviti who had resigned.
She was nominated by fellow committee member Fasiha Hassan, seconded by Vusumuzi Alfred Nkosi, and elected unopposed.
In brief remarks after her election, Khanyase said the committee would continue its oversight work.
"This is a committee that affects our ordinary SA citizens, but is also the backbone of our economy," she said.
She also highlighted the cost of electricity as a massive concern for industry and the broader economy.
"When we hear stories of why some industries are suffering and why some businesses have had to close, it is because of the cost of electricity and the cost of production as a whole," she said.
Eskom's electricity tariffs increased by an average of 8.76% for customers supplied directly by the utility on Wednesday.
Municipalities that buy electricity in bulk from Eskom will implement their own increases, averaging 9.01%.
Khanyase also referenced remarks by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the SA Investment Conference on Tuesday, in which he outlined plans to expand solar, wind and battery storage capacity over the next five years.
Khanyase said priorities for the committee include filling vacancies on the National Nuclear Regulator Board, processing the Gas Amendment Bill, and reviewing the budgets of the electricity and energy department.
She succeeds Nonkosi Mvana, who had chaired the committee since the start of the seventh Parliament in 2024.
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