South Africa should not cut off power supplies to its neighbours due to the current energy crisis, ANC general secretary Gwede Mantashe said yesterday.

South Africa should not cut off power supplies to its neighbours due to the current energy crisis, ANC general secretary Gwede Mantashe said yesterday.

"We should not stop supplying the power we have due to our own challenges in South Africa ... it is foolhardy of us to think that we can have an island of prosperity in a sea of poverty," he said.

Mantashe was speaking at a press briefing to launch the ruling party's energy efficiency campaign at Luthuli House in Johannesburg.

He said SA should interact with its neighbours on importing electricity from them as well.

Mantashe said the party remained optimistic that the current power crisis would not translate into negative economic growth.

He said while the crisis might bring about a slowdown in the economy's growth rate, he remained optimistic that SA's economy would reach its 6percent growth target.

The ANC's campaign, themed "Conserve electricity today so that we have it tomorrow", would filter down to all party members, he said.

Pamphlets would be distributed to branches and members would conduct door-to-door visits to work with the community about the benefits of conserving electricity.

The brightly coloured pamphlet gives advice on electricity conservation, such as turning geysers off when not in use, taking a shower instead of a bath, and switching off lights when not needed.

Mantashe emphasised that the party's campaign aimed to give a boost to government's energy saving campaign. - Sapa