Hydroelectricity and renewable energy only solutions to rescue Gauteng from the ongoing electricity crisis
29 November 2022
The DA is proposing that Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi urgently looks into using our dams in the province as a source of hydroelectricity, establishing a green economy war room that is mandated to look into other sources of renewable energy and provide support to municipalities so that they can procure additional electricity from Independent Power Producers (IPPs).
If this is not done, we risk seeing an increase in the current unemployment rate as businesses, especially those who operate in the townships and from home will have to close their doors.
For months now, the DA has been calling on the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) to come up with a plan to mitigate the effects that loadshedding has on the province and the economy.
Gauteng businesses are at risk of having to close their doors as their profit margins are severely impacted due to the ongoing electricity crisis in the country.
The ongoing blackouts are having a negative impact on the revenue that businesses can generate which resulted in some companies retrenching workers.
For at least six hours a day, residents and businesses do not have any electricity and not everyone can afford a generator, solar panels, or inverter so that they able to have a continued supply of electricity.
It is clear that the GPG government is missing in action as they have yet to come up with a concrete plan to minimize the impact of loadshedding on the province. The current status quo cannot remain and if Premier Lesufi is committed to ensuring that our economy grows and that more jobs are created, he will find a solution to the current loadshedding that is plaguing our province.
The DA will be using all the mechanism in place at the Gauteng Provincial Legislature to force Premier Lesufi to adopt our proposal.
Our residents deserve a government that is committed to ensuring that the wheels of the economy in this province keep on turning. If this government is not able to then it is high time that a government is installed in 2024 that is committed to creating the correct conditions for economic growth to take place.
Issued by Patrick Atkinson, DA Gauteng Spokesperson for Finance, 29 November 2022
