After spending the past 5 years, since his appointment as the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, frustrating and blocking the full participation of the private sector in the energy sector – Gwede Mantashe has made a shameless turn and is now accusing the private sector for the load-shedding crisis. The reality is that no amount of blame shifting will hide the undeniable fact that Mantashe has, since his appointment, failed to move the needle on the procurement of independent power generation and the incentivisation of private investment in the sector. Together with his ANC comrades, he has fostered policy and regulatory uncertainty, and has not moved fast enough to remove red tape impeding the active participation of Independent Power Producers.