Neelam Rahim / neelam@radioislam.co.za

2 min read
21 January 2023 / 18:16 pm CAT

Three weeks into the New Year and South Africa’s energy crisis – the recent announcement of another above-inflation electricity price increase amid increased and persistent loadshedding – has plunged the country into chaos. And while there is a strong call to sue the government and Eskom for loadshedding, two civil society organisations are instead going straight to the source of one of the fundamental problems with energy planning in South Africa. That is a critical piece of legislation that the President has not brought into operation.

In conversation with Radio Islam International, Francesca De Gasparis, Executive Director for the Southern African Faith Communities Environment Institute, said they have decided to take the government to court over the section 6 challenge.

“With the load shedding and the fact that Eskom had not been able to address the crisis of its energy aging fleet. And the year-on-year massive price increase allowed to be passed onto consumers, there is no way without a legal framework is the government going to take action as needed,” she says.

According to Dr Gasparis, not having an overall integrated energy plan means the wastage of energy occurring in the past few years.

“An effective integrated energy plan, many of the energy systems that the government is putting time and money into right now either need to be phased out and concentrate on renewable energy or don’t have to bring them in. Which is not happening at this time,” De Gasparis added.

Listen to the interview with presenter ML Junaid Kharsany and guest Francesca De Gasparis on Radio Islam’s podcast.