Neelam Rahim / neelam@radioislam.co.za

2 min read
05 February 2023 / 22:44 pm CAT

Photo: politicsweb

Trade union Solidarity has fiercely criticised any idea of declaring a state of disaster because of the ongoing power crisis. Solidarity says the government’s inability to use its current power led to the crisis. A state of disaster will once again open the door to large-scale corruption and fraud.

“The ANC government declaring a state of disaster to deal with load shedding is like trying to put out a fire with petrol,” says Connie Mulder, Head of the Solidarity Research Institute (SRI).

According to Solidarity, the answer lies in less government power and more private sector freedom. The state already has enough tools in their hands to solve the crisis

“The reason we are here has been 16 years of consistent bad decision making by government,” Mulder added.

According to Mulder, a state of disaster will give the government mitigating power to continue down this road, which is of significant concern.

“The harsh reality is that existing legislation already provides for emergency purchases of electricity. Minister Mantashe already used the existing legislation in July 2020 to announce a programme for emergency power purchases. With a simple regulation, the Minister can fully stipulate how much power we want to purchase over which term. If the president is unhappy with the implementation of these tools, the designated vehicle is rather a resignation letter from Minister Mantashe, not a declaration for a state of disaster,” states Mulder.

Solidarity’s legal team is investigating the matter further.

Listen to the interview with Annisa Essack and Connie Mulder on Radio Islam’s podcast.