IFP calls on President and Eskom to action exemptions for water pumps

22 February 2023

The IFP would like to remind President Ramaphosa of one of the many promises made during his recent SONA.

He explained “The state of disaster will enable us to provide practical measures that we need to take ... Where technically possible, it will enable us to exempt critical infrastructure such as hospitals and water treatment plants from load shedding.”

Mr President, that was 13 days ago, and it seems nothing has changed for the better. In addition to the ongoing rolling blackouts, communities across KwaZulu-Natal are facing serious water challenges. These are further exacerbated when the water pump stations powered by electricity are unable to function. We have received reports of people going without water for more than a week. This is unacceptable, and also has serious health and safety implications.

Water, even more so than electricity, is essential to life. As per our Constitution, in Section 27(1)(b), “Everyone has the right to have access to sufficient…water”.

We therefore urge you, Mr President, to call on Eskom to urgently liaise with Water Authorities across KZN, to identify the pump stations that rely on Eskom to operate, and to prioritise these promised exemptions as a matter of urgency.

Issued by Narend Singh, IFP Chief Whip in Parliament, 22 February 2023