DA to file motion for Ad-hoc Committee on load shedding in WC Legislature

10 January 2023

Attention broadcasters: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites

The DA in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament will be filing a motion for the creation of an Ad-hoc Committee on the impact of load shedding in the Western Cape province.

For years, the DA has been calling on the ANC national government to ease regulation, end Eskom’s monopolistic grip on electricity generation, and free the energy sector to add new generation capacity. We do not, however, support a National State of Disaster that will subject the people of the province and the nation to the draconian leadership of the Minister of Cooperative Governance, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

It is for this reason that the DA will introduce a motion in the Provincial Legislature for an Ad-hoc Committee to probe the impact of the electricity crisis on the Western Cape. Once constituted, the Ad-hoc committee, will:

Perform greater oversight of national and provincial government institutions and expenditure where it impacts on the Western Cape province;

Evaluate the implementation of upcoming regulations on the Western Cape province; and

Allow for greater representation and inputs of Western Cape communities, civil and non-government organisations, as well as private and business institutions.

I have also been informed by Premier Alan Winde that he will support the recently established provincial Energy Council reporting to this Committee which is led in its technical work by Alwie Lester, who comes with many years of experience working for Eskom.

The DA calls on Minister Dlamini-Zuma to engage and consult provincial governments in order to formulate a detailed structure of the National State of Disaster and how it will impact the lives of our communities and the functions of sub-national governments.

Issued by Wendy Kaizer-Philander, DA Chief Whip in Western Cape Provincial Parliament, 10 February 2023