President Cyril Ramaphosa said work was underway in government to determine whether the legal requirements for a state of disaster declaration had been met.
Ramaphosa announced this in his closing speech at the national executive committee (NEC) of the African National Congress (ANC) Lekgotla at the Esselenpark Conference Center in Gauteng on Monday evening.
“This Lekgotla has given clear direction on what needs to be done to end the energy crisis as a matter of great importance, and lay a solid foundation for energy security and sustainability in the future,” Ramaphosa said.
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“As the ANC, we have played an active role in mobilizing all sections of society behind the important Energy Action Plan. There is a clear direction from the lekgotla that we must resolve the immediate task of relieving the burden in a shorter period of time than has been projected, and have taken action to get.
“There is talk of a State Disaster, as there is in the face of Covid-19, and there is a broad agreement that needs to be made.
“Work has been carried out in the government to determine whether the legal requirements for the declaration of a state of disaster have been met and what specific actions will be taken in order to quickly overcome the burden in the framework of the National State of Disaster.”
National shutdown
The president’s address came a day after the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) announced it would join the taxi industry over plans to shut down the country in March, in protest against a drop in fares.
The party will also demand Ramaphosa’s resignation.
EFF leader Julius Malema said no train, bus or truck will move across the country in the day. There will be no learning in schools and all major roads will be closed, except for emergency services.
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“We will turn on the lights because we will remove the people who turned off the lights. Our freedom was stolen by Ramaphosa and the ANC and it will return to South Africa on March 20, 2023. This is the beginning of the destruction of the ANC and Ramaphosa.
DA demands an end to load shedding
Last Wednesday, the Democratic Alliance (DA) painted the streets of Johannesburg blue as they marched to Luthuli House, demanding an end to the congestion crisis.
DA supporters are fighting the electricity crisis and tariff hikes they say are engineered by the ANC.
On Sunday, Eskom announced that phase 4 load shedding will be in place until further notice, after several units were damaged at various power stations.
Compiled by Vhahangwele Nemakonde