While politicians often have an uncomfortable relationship with the truth, there was once a time when their commentary at least arose from a common set of facts. No longer. ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula is but one of a growing list of politicians using some of the “alternative facts” that have come to envelop the country’s Just Energy Transition Partnership. This executioner of the truth stated falsely recently that the funding had “decapacitated us to the point where we are loadshedding today”. The accusation is not only wrong but dangerous.