By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Presidency has issued a statement disputing “misrepresented” reports about President Cyril Ramaphosa’s opposing affidavit submitted in court in relation to who is legally and constitutionally responsible to deal with the energy crisis.
This follows the widespread media coverage that ensued after the release of the affidavit in the case being brought by the United Democratic Movement (UDM) and 18 other litigants against the South African government.
Part of the affidavit stated that the three spheres of government were not required by the Constitution to supply electricity to the people of South Africa.
“The statement in the affidavit that has been misrepresented relates to the constitutional powers and responsibilities of the President and other government bodies. It seeks to clarify important legal issues about what is contained in and what is required by the Constitution.
“This statement does not in any way diminish the commitment of Ramaphosa and this government to end load shedding as a matter of urgency,” a Presidency statement read.
The Presidency explained that since being elected, Ramaphosa has undertaken “far-reaching measures to resolve an electricity crisis”.
These include:
- The addition of more than 2000 MW to the grid to date following the revival of the renewable energy procurement programme.
- Removing the licensing threshold for embedded electricity projects and streamlining of regulatory processes, with the result that there are now more than 100 projects in the pipeline worth around 9000 MW.
- Implementing regulatory reforms to allow municipalities to procure power independently.
- Driving a turnaround in the performance of Eskom’s power stations through more rigorous maintenance, the recruitment of experienced technical personnel, improving security and law enforcement at power stations, among others.
- Providing incentives to businesses and households to invest in rooftop solar and developing mechanisms to enable them to sell surplus power back into the grid.
- Undertaking a debt-relief arrangement for Eskom of R254 billion, which will enable the utility to make necessary investments in maintenance and transmission.
“A national state of disaster has been declared under the Disaster Management Act. This will enable additional measures to be implemented to mitigate the social and economic effects of load shedding and accelerate the measures necessary to close the shortfall in electricity.
“These and other measures are clearly outlined in the same affidavit from which certain media outlets have selectively and inaccurately quoted. As recently as the State of the Nation Address on 9 February 2023, Ramaphosa said the most immediate priority of government is to restore energy security.
“The intense focus that is being given to resolving this crisis – and the actions that have been taken so far – clearly show that neither the President nor government has abdicated its responsibility for ending load shedding and setting the country on a path to energy security,” the statement said.