On February 9, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a state of national disaster due to the power-off nationwide and highlights that the lack of electricity poses an existential threat to the economy and social fabric.
In his annual national message addressed to Parliament at Cape Town City Hall, President Ramaphosa said the country was suffering from a profound energy crisis.
The President emphasized: “The crisis has gradually affected all sections of society. We must act to reduce the impact of the crisis on farmers, small businesses, water infrastructure. and our transportation network.”
Through the crisis statement, President Ramaphosa suggested that coordinated crisis resolution could focus on a single point.
The power shortage crisis has been going on for years in South Africa, believed to be the result of delays in the construction of thermal power plants new coal, corruption in coal supply contracts, vandalism, and a failure to loosen regulations to allow private suppliers to quickly bring renewables to life.
State electricity company Eskom is implementing daily rotating power cuts across the country, leaving households in the dark, disrupting production and harming businesses of all sizes. .
The power cuts are expected to slow economic growth in Africa’s most industrialized nation to just 0.3 percent this year.
Meanwhile, the latest decision on a national disaster status gives the South African government extra powers to respond to the crisis, including allowing for emergency procurement procedures with less bureaucracy. and monitoring delays this process further.
The declaration state of national disaster previously used to enable health authorities to respond more quickly to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This time, however, analysts doubt whether the announcement will help the government expand electricity supplies more quickly.
President Ramaphosa said: “The state of disaster will allow the government to put in place practical measures that need to be taken to support businesses in the supply chain that produce, store and retail food, including deployment of generators, solar panels and uninterruptible power supply.”
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In addition, Mr. Ramaphosa said the Auditor General would be dispatched to monitor spending and funding related to the crisis to ensure that funds are handled appropriately and that similar looting occurs. that took place during the crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic will not be repeated.
In addition to monitoring calls energy crisisthe president said he would also appoint a new minister during his presidency to focus exclusively on resolving the crisis.
President Ramaphosa insists he has no new long-term plan to tackle the crisis, with the government doubling down on its energy plan announced by 2022.
“We focus on actions that will make a meaningful difference now and make real progress next year,” he said. We are not presenting a new plan, we are focusing on the issues that concern South Africans most.”
Hong Minh (VNA/Vietnam+)