Load shedding exemptions: Ramaphosa defends outages

Government appears unlikely to implement provisions of the landmark North Gauteng Court ruling, compelling the state to render uninterrupted electricity to public institutions: schools, clinics, hospitals and police buildings, if the address on Thursday to Parliament by President Cyril Ramaphosa is anything to go by.

In terms of the court judgement, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan, has been given 60 days to take “all reasonable steps” to prevent load shedding at in institutions or provide generators – a decision government plans to appeal.

Ruling

The ruling came after an application by opposition parties, labour and organs of civil society groups – also pushing for small businesses to be spared from loadshedding.

READ MORE: Gordhan to appeal court ruling on load shedding exemptions

Responding during a question-and-answer session with MPs, on government’s response to the court decision, Ramaphosa gave the clearest indication of the state’s intention not to honour the ruling – despite conceding that Said Ramaphosa: “The court did take that decision and clearly, the view that we have taken in government, is that we do need to deal with the practically of that ruling.

“The whole process of loadshedding is about managing the grid, because when several units are not available to generate energy, you would be tempted to drive those remaining units to a point of breakdown.

“Therefore, you need to manage the process carefully. “Engineers tell me that you need to limit the units from over-heating.

“And if they were to overheat, because you are driving them at one go to generate electricity at its maximum – the grid could collapse.

“You therefore, need to feed the electricity in several areas on possibly a sequential basis – switching off other areas and others on – until you reach a stage when all units can give you the electricity we need.

“This is possibly what we maybe don’t understand. “Loadshedding is the last resort. “If we ever wanted a situation where there was no loadshedding, the grid would collapse, because several units – for reasons we have dealt with – are not available at the time.

“As we speak now, the availability of our electricity has gone down below 50%. “As much as we want that electricity must be generated all at one go, it is just practically engineering wise, not possible.

“It is for this reason that government wants to shed light through this whole process – the impracticality of doing all that.

“The more practical way is to do your loadshedding in sequence where you are able to shed load in a number of areas.”

Ideally, said Ramaphosa, he would have wanted “all those hospitals and schools to be exempt, but from an engineering point of view, I am told that it is impractically and impossible to do so”.

“Now we are faced with a court judgement and the impracticality of it all.

“Approaching the court through an appeal process, is to bring to bear an understanding of the engineering aspects and the impracticality aspects of it all,” explained Ramaphosa.

He added: “It is not done in an arrogant way to second-guess the court, but being done to save the grid.”

Gold Mafia

On the country’s efforts to fight corruption and the alleged illicit financial activities, which featured prominently inn the Al Jazeera documentary “Gold Mafia”, Ramaphosa said government took the allegations “seriously”.

He said: “We are committed to the preservation of the integrity of the financial system in the interest of the broader economy and ordinary citizens.

“Investigative and regulatory authorities will act in accordance with their mandate – in coordination with other jurisdictions where necessary – to act against those found guilty of wrongdoing.

“With respect to actions currently being taken to investigate individuals who are alleged in the documentary to be criminally implicated, an enquiry has been registered by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation to investigate these syndicates and individuals.

“No arrests have been made yet. “Details of the steps that are being taken cannot be divulged at this stage without compromising the investigation.”

NOW READ: Court orders government to exempt schools, hospitals, police stations from load shedding

brians@citizen.co.za