For illustration (Photo: Andrey Metelev via Unsplash)
South Africa is reeling under a power crisis. Its architect is the government, but more specifically the ANC. They have a toxic ideology of centralization and race, mixed with selfish systemic corruption.
This toxic mixture shuts down our power. The recent revelations of André de Ruyter about systemic corruption down to cabinet level shook us. Power is centralized, cadres are deployed and the elite eat together from the trough.
The power crisis takes on crisis proportions and the president announces a state of disaster – more power to the ANC government.
The government that caused the disaster therefore gets even more power to solve it. Along with this goes the lifting of certain oversight processes and democratic rights.
A state of disaster is profound and must be handled with caution.
A state of disaster gives powers to a government that closes provinces, announces curfews, decides what clothes you have to wear and what you can eat. It also gives access to funds and tenders, and gives power that can plunder.
Government failures do not meet the definition of a disaster. It can be a disaster if we stumble from one failure to another, which is declared a disaster each time. Today it is power, tomorrow water, the day after tomorrow other infrastructure. We could be in a permanent state of disaster with more power to the government with more opportunity to eat without oversight. It will be a rampocracy.
The power disaster situation could not be left there. This would create a dangerous precedent of a rampocracy. This could create a slippery slope for a culture of too much power in the government and our government loves it too much.
A crisis arises and the first response of the government is a state of disaster, even though there is sufficient other legislation in place to solve the power crisis. They like to be strongman. The problem is the will and ability of the government, but their solution is power.
Solidarity had to go to court to stop the abuse of power. The government certainly did not decide by itself to stop the state of disaster. They like central planning. Nor did they decide by themselves to stop the Covid-19 disaster. They liked it too. In this case, Solidarity and AfriForum also had to force the government to stop the Covid-19 disaster.
Solidarity, Outa (the other applicant) and the government would meet with the judge to discuss the case against the electricity disaster state and fix timelines. The right hatchet was raised and would fall on the senseless state of disaster.
According to the Mail & Gaurdian a government official admitted that the legal process had uncovered major flaws and that the government was in deep trouble.
They didn’t want to, but had to give up power that didn’t belong to them. They were forced.
The state of calamity has been withdrawn. However, it was not only a victory over an unlawful state of disaster, but also over the danger of a rampocracy.
What would have happened if civil society had not stepped in?
South Africa is reeling under a power crisis. However, the answer to this is not more power and government, but more private and community. Large-scale small-scale power generation down to the community level is needed.
Eskom is a case study of South Africa – too much power and government. The answer lies in more private and community. The answer to the South African disaster lies with people who go looking for answers, far from the power of the government.
