Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

3-minute read
10 May 2023 | 16:40 CAT

Photo Credit: Herald LIVE

The North Gauteng High Court has ruled that all hospitals, clinics, schools and police stations should be spared from electricity disruptions. Judge Norman Davis ordered the Minister of Public Enterprises, Pravin Gordhan, to “take all reasonable steps” within 60 days to ensure that public healthcare establishments, state schools and the South African Police Service are unaffected by blackouts.

Radio Islam International discussed the judgement, which resulted from an application brought by the UDM, other opposition parties, NGOs and individuals. Detailing how load-shedding affects healthcare, security and education with Mr Happy Khumbule, Environment and Energy Manager at Business Unity SA and Advocate Stephanie Fick, The Head of Legal Affairs OUTA.

According to Fick, the ruling does not come as a surprise but rather a victory. While we all suffer the difficulty of loadshedding, the court has taken into consideration that while Eskom has got a problem, it appears the government was the one sleeping behind the wheel and is now responsible for ensuring that hospitals, schools and police stations have alternative electricity to be online despite loadshedding.

The SAPS, hospital and school categories are linked to the national grid, and it is challenging to ensure they don’t get loadshedding when the rest of the country does.

Khumbule highlighted the option from a technical perspective. Khumbule said the distribution networks are situated in a way that makes it difficult to isolate or remove a high-risk facility from the grid.

“However, on-site generation or storage could facilitate some sort of power supply for a period that amounts to loadshedding,” says Khumbule.

Former Eskom CEO André de Ruyter previously warned that halting load shedding to hospitals, schools, and police stations could trigger a national blackout.

Listen to the full interview on Sabahul Muslim with Moulana Sulaiman Ravat.