It is day three of the African National Congress 55th National Elective Conference and although the rest of the country has been plunged into darkness with stage six load shedding, Nasrec won't be affected. ?

WHAT THE ANC HAS TO SAY?

This is despite ANC spokesman Pule Mabe denting claims to the media that the party made a special request to be exempted from load-shedding until the conference ends on Tuesday. "The reports that we have asked for load shedding exemption are not true. We are a very responsible organisation. It will never come right for the ANC to want to enjoy different rights from those of the rest of South Africa. It is an indictment actually on the performance of our leadership role," Mabe says. "When we looked at the facilities to hire, we had to make sure that we booked a facility that had an alternative plan and electricity generation capacity for load shedding." 

NOT TAKING ADVANTAGE

Mabe adds that they would never take advantage of their position as the ruling party to manipulate the system to work in their favour. "Are you trying to say that the people of Phalaborwa, uMlazi, and Soweto's electricity problems mean nothing to the ANC? You are saying the ANC has applied to Eskom because it's conference is sitting and that the rest of the country can continue living without electricity? The ANC can't be exempted from load-shedding while the people of Soweto are without electricity. This would be a state capture of another kind," Mabe adds. 

WHAT CITY POWER SAYS

City Power has confirmed that it received a request from SAPS NatJoints to consider excluding the Nasrec precinct from load-shedding for the duration of the conference. CityPower spokesman Isaac Mangena explains that the exclusion is to assist security operations in the area due to the presence of high-security risk persons such as the President of the country, deputy president, and government Ministers. "The request, fortunately, came at a time when Eskom granted City Power exemption from load-shedding, which enables us to, on a daily rotational basis, exempt certain substations from loadshedding," Mangena says the power utility has always supported major events, be it sports, religious, or cultural events - within the City of Johannesburg through their relationship with event organizers.