Cape Town — The government announced on Wednesday that it has terminated with immediate effect, the National State of Disaster on electricity declared by the Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) on 9 February 2023.
The government labelled the State of Disaster a necessary response to the impact of critical levels of load shedding on the economy and vulnerable sectors such as health and small businesses.
The state of disaster enabled the government to enhance interventions by the National Energy Crisis Committee in terms of the Energy Action Plan.
Aims of the interventions in the Energy Action Plan:
- Fix Eskom and improve the availability of existing supply.
- Enable and accelerate private investment in generation capacity.
- Accelerate procurement of new capacity from renewables, gas and battery storage
- Unleash businesses and households to invest in rooftop solar.
- Fundamentally transform the electricity sector to achieve long-term energy security.
The government has credited the new Minister of Electricity Kgosientso Ramokgopa with being a significant enabler of the improvement in the supply of electricity.
“The minister has in recent weeks undertaken oversight visits to power stations and consultations within government, including with Eskom, to identify and resolve electricity supply constraints.
As a structure that integrates areas of responsibility and resources within government, the National Energy Crisis Committee provides support to the minister in the identification and resolution of bottlenecks,” it said.
The disaster declaration was published in Government Gazette No. 48009 in Notice No.3019 in terms of Section 27(5)(b) of the Disaster Management Act, 57 of 2002 as amended.
Following the termination of the state of disaster, all regulations and directions made in terms of Section 27(2) of the Act pursuant to the declaration of the national state of disaster to deal with the impact or the severe electricity supply constraint are repealed with immediate effect.
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Compiled by Junaid Benjamin