Less than two months after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that South Africa had declared a state of disaster (SOD) to deal with its energy supply crisis, the SOD has been scrapped.
Both trade Solidarity and civil society grouping the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) said on Wednesday that they had secured victory over the government in forcing the early end of the SOD, which was imposed in early February.
Outa said its legal team had been informed that the electricity SOD and its associated regulations are being scrapped. “This follows on from Outa’s legal challenge to stop the SOD. Big win for civil society,” Outa tweeted.
Solidarity, meanwhile, said it had “forced” the government to end “another state of disaster”.
It said government had written to it to announce that the energy SOD would be withdrawn later in the day on Wednesday and that Solidarity should therefore withdraw the legal action it had taken in February to review government’s decision to impose the SOD.
Read: Ramaphosa declares state of disaster over energy crisis
Meanwhile, newly appointed cooperative governance & traditional affairs minister Thembi Nkadimeng confirmed at a press conference in Pretoria that the SOD had been terminated, along with associated regulations. Nkadimeng replaced Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma in the portfolio after Ramaphosa’s cabinet reshuffle in March. – © 2023 NewsCentral Media