The Democratic Alliance (DA) has declared victory after hearing that the government is working toward declaring the load-shedding issue a national state of emergency.
Monday evening, January 30th, President Cyril Ramaphosa said this when he closed the National Executive Committee (NEC) Lekgotla of the ruling party.
Ramaphosa stated that there has been talk of declaring a national state of emergency, such to what occurred when South Africa faced Covid-19, and there is widespread consensus that the country should move in this route.
Ramaphosa stated that the government is already investigating whether the legislative prerequisites for declaring a national state of disaster have been reached, as well as what steps would be taken to fix the load shedding situation.
Gauteng is experiencing a MASSIVE food security issue because of load shedding.
Work is already ongoing inside the government to determine if the legislative prerequisites for declaring a national state of emergency have been met and what specific actions we would be authorized to take to resolve #loadshedding as soon as possible.
https://t.co/9b3Mqplv8E
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) January 30, 2023
DA Kevin Mileham, the Shadow Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, stated that any declaration of a State of Disaster should be restricted to Eskom and the electrical sector. This declaration must be subject to thorough and open legislative oversight.
“Properly implemented, a ring-fenced and transparently managed State of Disaster can allow the government to avoid self-imposed impediments, bottlenecks, and inflationary costs in the shape of impractical labor legislation, localization requirements, and BEE.
Mileham stated, “However, complete transparency and parliamentary oversight will be required at every step to prevent a repeat of the PPE looting frenzy during the Covid-19 State of Disaster.”
Various political parties have long demanded that Eskom, which is regularly implementing Stage 4 rolling blackouts, be placed under a National State of Disaster.
In addition, a task force comprised of government representatives, industry participants in the agriculture sector, and energy experts has been formed to regularly assess the impact of rolling blackouts on the sector and its ability to maintain food security.
»DA declares triumph as load-shedding situation is likely to be labeled a national disaster«