its president South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa declared a state of national disaster on Thursday evening in an attempt to resolve the problem energy crisis which undermines the daily life and economy of the largest industrial power of the African continent.

For months now, 60 million South Africans have had to cook, wash their clothes and charge their mobile phones for just a few hours a day. The country is experiencing a shortage of electricity and provides electricity “on tickets”, continuing planned outages. On some days, residents are left without electricity for 12 hours, as the situation has worsened since last year.

“We are declaring a state of national disaster to respond to the energy crisis and its aftermath,” said Ramaphosa of Cape Town City Hall, where he delivered his annual address to the nation. As he explained, “in extraordinary circumstances, extraordinary measures are introduced.” The immediate challenge is to reduce the duration of power outages in the coming months and eventually eliminate them entirely.

Declaring a country in a state of disaster allows the government to release resources to support, among other things, the hardest hit food companies. Power outages will be stopped in hospitals and water treatment plants where possible, and a Minister of Electricity will be appointed who will report directly to the president.

“A threat to the economy and social fabric”

Ramaphosa’s goal is also to calm popular anger, as protests led by unions and the opposition have been organized in several cities in recent weeks. Earlier today, hundreds of protesters gathered in Cape Town to protest the difficult socio-economic situation they find themselves in: unemployment is at 32.9%, growth is projected to be near zero (0.3%) this year, and the cost of living continues to rise. influenced by inflation.

“The crisis is gradually developing and affecting all social strata” and is turning into a “threat to the economy and social fabric,” the president warned.

The state-owned Eskom, which today produces 90% of the country’s electricity, is mired in debt: nearly 21 billion euros (400 billion rand) and its aging coal-fired power plants often fail. South Africa is heavily dependent on fossil fuels and is struggling to switch to clean energy.

Politically, President Ramaphosa is also going through hard times. This evening he was interrupted several times at the beginning of the performance, as the mood was heating up. Members of the radical left party EFF (Economic Freedom Fighters) approached the stage, disrupting the ceremony until they were kicked out of the hall. The leaders of this movement vowed not to give the floor to the “criminal” president. Ramaphosa is involved in a strange corruption case that the police are investigating. In December, his party, the African National Congress (ANC), supported him when he was impeached. Shortly thereafter, he re-elected him to his leadership, guaranteeing him another term as President of South Africa if the ANC wins the 2024 elections.

^{Source: APE-MEB, AFP.}