ANC Secretary General, Fikile Mbalula.
- The ANC believes that it is possible to end cargo shedding by the end of the year.
- ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula said on Tuesday the party saw the declaration of a national state of disaster as a critical way to help hasten its possible end.
- A statement could help speed up the acquisitions and financing needed to support Eskom’s energy crisis, Mbalula added.
The ANC says it wants to end load shedding by the end of the year by reprioritizing the national budget and declaring a national state of disaster.
On Tuesday, its general secretary, Fikile Mbalula, expanded the party’s actions to end the cargo shedding following a two-day lekgotla by ANC leaders in Johannesburg over the weekend.
On Monday, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the ANC would explore the legal frameworks for what a national state of disaster would entail.
Mbalula said the party was concerned about where the funds to support a national disaster declaration would come from.
However, he added that the ANC had already considered existing budget allocations.
While the lekgotla noted that the budget was under pressure, it also resolved to speed up the work of the National Energy Crisis Committee to end load disconnection by December.
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“In meeting this goal, the NEC [national executive committee] They agreed that all measures must be taken to protect, rebuild and save Eskom.
“The NEC lekgotla, in line with Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s presentation, noted that this would require a re-prioritization of the already strained national budget,” the ANC said in a statement.
In particular, he added that he hoped to re-prioritize unspent budgets “as there are billions projected to be overspent.”
The National Treasury generally reallocates unspent funds in any case.
Mbalula said the ANC believed that a declaration of a state of disaster would also help to end the load-dropping sooner.
This would allow the government to speed up procurement and reallocation of resources.
He said:
A state of disaster will help us move quickly. Then the goal of achieving it this year can be met. Acquisitions will be faster and resources for interventions, in particular for maintenance, [made available].
Mbalula added that the command center established under the disaster would draw on people with the ability to advise it.
“For a long time, we have been told something that is elusive. Reports have been conflicting. Our response to Covid was scientifically driven. Our response to load reduction must be scientifically driven,” he said.
The government declared a national disaster to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
A cabinet lekgotla will be held on Thursday, and the ANC lekgotla’s recommendations will be discussed at the meeting, Mbalula added.
He said the load shedding could be eased or finished by the end of the year if a guideline was followed.
Some of the recommendations discussed and presented in the lekgotla include:
1. Prioritization of maintenance, management and safety at Eskom power plants.
2. Management of load shedding in a way that minimizes the impact on the economy and the provision of basic services, including water.
3. Mitigation of the South African National Energy Regulator’s decision regarding Eskom’s tariffs on people and the economy.
4. Implement measures to manage the demand for electricity, including the installation of heaters and solar panels and other energy efficient systems, which should be incentivized.
5. Expediting the contracting of emergency energy.
6. Relief and support for poor households, as well as small and medium-sized businesses.
7. Slow down the outward migration of technical and managerial skills and capabilities at Eskom while mobilizing additional skills in areas such as engineering.
8. Support for the just energy transition as a long-term program.
The country has been dealing with endless days of load disconnection for several months.
On Tuesday, Eskom announced that it would move to Stage 5 and that Stage 6 would be implemented from Wednesday.
The power company had indicated that the country would experience stages 2 and 3 of load shedding over the next two years.
