Johannesburg - Various political parties have reacted to the possibility of South Africa being put under a state of disaster, which was suggested by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
DA spokesperson for Public Enterprises, Ghaleb Cachalia, said his party will not allow the initial proposal to declare a ring-fenced state of disaster around Eskom to become another Covid-like feeding ground for ministers.
“Probity, transparency, parliamentary and independent expert oversight in fashioning and implementation must be the order of the day. Should this putative move by the government be implemented, it is of the utmost importance that the president and his implementing minister (Pravin) Gordhan be placed on terms,” said Cachalia.
He said the DA and South Africa as a whole will hold them accountable if they mess this up.
Freedom Front Plus leader Dr Pieter Groenewald said if a state of disaster is declared it must be clearly defined.
Echoing the sentiments of the DA, he said the same abuse of power, like with the Covid-19 state of disaster, must not repeat itself.
“States of disaster are not uncommon. Last year in KwaZulu-Natal, for example, a state of disaster was announced with the specific aim of alleviating the effects of the floods, which caused severe damage.
“On one condition: the FF Plus wants the exact reasons and rules that will apply with such a state of disaster to be spelled out,” he said.
He said it is important to prevent corruption from being committed on a large scale with funds that become easily accessible through special measures, as during the Covid-19 state of disaster.
“Among other things, proper parliamentary oversight must be exercised over the implementation of any state of disaster relating to the electricity crisis. Furthermore, an ad hoc committee must be established to monitor the process. The president must also spell out how long the state of disaster will last," added Groenewald.
He said it was ironic the government itself created this problem, which it now wants to address by implementing a state of disaster.
Meanwhile, EFF leader Julius Malema said an immediate solution to South Africa’s electricity crisis should be directed towards floating power stations that rely on gas and nuclear into the grid.
“The Russian Federation, the People’s Republic of China, Qatar and Turkey have the capacity to bring the floating power stations to the shores of South Africa to provide dependable electricity,” he said.
Malema also gave the example of Germany which, he said, when faced with electricity challenges, used a floating storage and regasification unit in their grid in less than a year.
He also said South Africa should negotiate with Russia in order to build nuclear power stations.
“This intervention does not mean that South Africa should abandon coal as a provider of South Africa’s base load energy,” he said.
The Star