The Grootvlei power station (Photo: GUILLEM SARTORIO / AFP)
In a legal letter to the trade union Solidarity, a state attorney of the South African government indicated that the state of disaster regarding the current power crisis will be withdrawn on Wednesday.
In this letter, Solidarity is also requested to high court application to have the declaration of the state of disaster set aside, withdrawn.
“This writing is the direct result of Solidarity’s continued pressure and it is clear that the government stood no chance of success in court,” said Connie Mulder, head of research at Solidarity.
Rhewal used to report that pres. On 10 February this year, Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national state of emergency over the power crisis, despite repeated assurances from, among others, the Department of Public Enterprises, Eskom and the National Disaster Management Center that sufficient legislation exists to curb the power crisis.
Dr. Dirk Hermann, chief executive of Solidarity, says the government’s turnaround proves once again that pressure from civil society works and must be exerted repeatedly.
“This victory not only invalidated the senseless state of disaster, but also stopped us from degenerating into a disaster democracy.”
(Archive photo: Christel Cornelissen / Rhewal)
Mulder says that all the instruments needed to solve the power crisis have been in the government’s hands for years. “Their incompetence or unwillingness to use it is the greater disaster. A bad craftsman with a bigger hammer is not going to lead to better construction.”
Mulder says the latest developments once again confirm that the South African government cannot solve crises alone, but that the solution lies rather in the devolution of powers.
“The energy solution lies in large-scale small-scale generation. It lies on millions of rooftops rather than in the corridors of the Union Building. Solidarity once again appeals to the government to please step out of the way so that the private sector and community sector can solve the power crisis.”
Hermann further says that a state of disaster is “an absolute exception because it gives so many powers to the government and in practice cancels normal democracy”.
“The state of disaster was pointless. There is sufficient legislation to solve the power crisis. The problem is the will and ability of the government.
“If we were to leave this state of disaster, South Africa could fall into a disaster democracy where the government declares disasters because of their own uselessness and then gets even more powers.”
