South Africa Axes ‘State of Disaster’ Amid Power Crisis
South Africa has officially scrapped its national “state of disaster” declared back in February to tackle a crippling electricity crisis. The crippling blackouts, blamed on breakdowns at ageing coal plants and chronic corruption at state utility Eskom, had ground the nation’s economy to a halt.
Disaster Rules Sparked Controversy
President Cyril Ramaphosa invoked emergency powers to fast-track solutions, cutting red tape on crucial procurement processes. But critics, including anti-corruption group OUTA, slammed the move as a corruption risk, insisting the crisis could be managed without such sweeping powers.
New Minister Takes Charge, Crisis Committee Steps Up
Recently appointed Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa toured Eskom’s failing power stations and held talks to ease the shortages. Now, the government will rely on its Energy Crisis Committee and existing laws to battle load shedding instead of disaster regulations.
CoGTA Minister Thembi Nkadimeng said, “The government will now work through its Energy Crisis Committee to reduce the effect of power cuts using existing legislation and contingency arrangements.”
The end of the state of disaster marks a shift in strategy as South Africa continues to grapple with rolling blackouts and the urgent need to fix Eskom’s decades-old mess.
