Although the declaration has been revoked, some measures would remain in place, says the newly appointed Electricity Minister, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa.
South Africa declared a national ‘State of Disaster’ in February over its electricity crisis.
The declaration would help the country tackle the crisis by putting some measures in place.
It gave the government additional powers to respond to the crisis, including by permitting emergency procurement procedures.
However, on Wednesday the government revoked the declaration.
Why It Was Revoked
Although the declaration has been revoked, some measures would remain in place, says the newly appointed Electricity Minister, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa.
The government will now work to reduce the impact of power cuts using existing legislation and contingency arrangements, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister, Thembi Nkadimeng, says.
The deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance, Parks Tau, says that since the establishment of the Ministry of Electricity, there had been discussions about whether the “state of disaster” was still necessary.
But the disaster status is being challenged in court.
Also, the civil rights group bringing the lawsuit was quick to take credit for its withdrawal.
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OUTA, a non-profit organisation that focuses on fighting government corruption and tax abuses says the revoking of the declaration had to do with them.
“The state is withdrawing the national state of disaster in response to OUTA’s legal action challenging its rationality,” OUTA says.
According to OUTA, the disaster regulations would have enabled corruption, and the crisis could be managed using existing laws.
