Mystery “secret funder” of R16-billion Smart Meter project - with Samantha Graham-Maré

Mystery surrounds the identity of the “secret” funder of the Smart Meter programme of Electricity Minister Dr Kgosientso Ramokgopa. The Democratic Alliance’s (DA’s) Shadow Minister of Electricty Samantha Graham-Maré has been struggling for months to get answers. Graham-Maré points out that Smart Meters were touted quite early on in Ramokgopa’s term, and she recalls “a deeply concerning issue” around Smart Meters when the Minister was the Mayor of Tshwane. “…there was a whole sort of fraudulent tender process that happened there around Smart Meters. Then he came in as Minister of Electricity and suddenly the Smart Meters were back on the table…but I can't get information because I'm being blocked.” After receiving no answers to a Promotion of Access to Information request to the Minister On 21 July 2023, she has now submitted Parliamentary questions to Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan.