Power crisis: Role players should be allowed on national advisory forum before state of disaster is declared

AfriForum requests the Department of Cooperative Government and Traditional Affairs’ national disaster management to form part of its advisory forum if the current power crisis is declared a state of disaster by pres. Cyril Ramaphosa. Ramaphosa earlier this week said that a state of disaster, similar to the state of disaster imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, was being considered to solve the country’s power crisis.

Access to this forum will ensure that other role players such as AfriForum fulfil a watchdog role in terms of resources such as additional funds and manpower. AfriForum has 165 branches and 160 neighbourhood watches nationally, as well as national communication and drone networks, experts and other resources to manage a disaster.

“During the Covid-19 pandemic and the 2022 floods in KwaZulu-Natal, the ANC government already proved their inability to properly manage a disaster. The biggest problem was the management of the funds and the repairs that were not done due to fraud and looting. It is a shame that the government has to announce a disaster to tackle service delivery,” says Tarien Cooks, Disaster Management Specialist for AfriForum.

According to AfriForum, the government could have prevented the possible declaration of a state of disaster due to the power crisis by early action. Risk reduction is an international trend so that when a disaster was to occur, the impact can be mitigated and the financial impact reduced. The ANC government, however, has no plans in place, therefore, letting all its citizens down. This is why the government must allow role players such as AfriForum to form part of the advisory forum.