Sceptics slate plan by ANC to declare state of disaster
South Africa is drawing scepticism over its plans to declare a state of disaster to help tackle crippling blackouts, with critics arguing that the measure will undermine spending controls and isn’t the solution to the nation’s energy crisis.
Rolling power outages, known locally as load shedding, have been instituted since 2008 to protect the electricity grid as state power utility Eskom fails to generate enough electricity to meet demand from its old and poorly maintained coal-fired plants.
On Tuesday, the ANC called for state of disaster laws to be utilised to end the outages by yearend.
More details may be announced after a Cabinet meeting which began yesterday, or when President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers his State of the Nation Address on 9 February.
“Existing legislation and institutions, if used in good faith, provide all that is necessary to get over load shedding as fast as reasonably possible,” said Hilton Trollip, an energy research consultant and fellow at the University of Cape Town.
“Huge risks” will accompany the imposition of a state of disaster and the government needs to justify why existing laws are inadequate, he said.
While it’s unclear what government measures would follow such a declaration, Eskom has long requested truncating procurement rules in order to speed up delivery of spare parts to fix its plants.
Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has raised the option of securing electricity from floating gas-fired plants if legal obstacles are removed. Bids by Turkey’s Karpowership to supply South Africa have made slow progress because of lawsuits and environmental challenges.
A state of disaster was last imposed in March 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic, enabling the government to fasttrack spending and cut red tape.
It later emerged public funds had been abused, tender processes bypassed and ANC politicians were among those who benefitted from questionable contracts.
That experience will undermine support for implementing similar dispensations and the additional measures don’t appear to be needed, said Happy Khambule, energy and environment manager for lobby group Business Unity South Africa.
“Many policy instruments that would lead Eskom onto a sustainable path require implementation, which is unfortunately sorely lacking,” he said.
“The correct path to end load shedding is to leave Eskom to do its job without further interference”, increase energy generation, give incentives to individuals and businesses to generate their own power and have a consistent demand-side electricity
Leave Eskom to do its job without interference
management programme, he said.
The ANC’s plans do have backing from the Congress of South African Trade Unions, SA’s biggest labour group and a member of the nation’s ruling alliance. “A state of disaster will send the message to society that government is treating this crisis with the urgency it requires,” it said in a statement. “It will concentrate all of government’s attention and resources to stabilising and rebuilding the grid and providing government and Eskom with the necessary powers and tools to end load shedding.”