Cape Town: The Western Cape Cabinet held a special meeting on Wednesday to discuss the ongoing load shedding and the impact it is having on the province.
The MEC for local government, environmental affairs and development planning, Anton Bredell, said there were concerns and frustrations caused by load shedding and the negative impact it was having on the Western Cape.
“We are very much aware of people’s frustrations, anger, and fear, because Eskom cannot give clear answers on when load shedding will be resolved, nor is there any co-ordinated approach from national government to mitigate the worst impact of this crisis,” he said.
Bredell said he had written to National Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, on June 30, highlighting the seriousness of the situation after Eskom plunged the country into stage 6 load shedding.
He said the power utility was a national challenge but impacts were being experienced at local level.
He called for a nationally co-ordinated disaster management approach to mitigate the situation.
“At this stage, we have not received any feedback from Minister Dlamini Zuma, or any indication that the National Disaster Management Centre has been activated,” Bredell said.
During the meeting, the Provincial Disaster Management Centre (PDMC), the City of Cape Town and the Provincial Department of Public Works presented contingency plans and explained how they were lessening the impact of load shedding on citizens.
“The Disaster Management Centre presented the Integrated Contingency Plan for Major Electricity Disruptions, which is signed between the Western Cape Government and Eskom.
“This plan sets out in detail how each stage of load shedding is to be managed and describes the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders.”
Bredell said the PDMC had been on high alert since stage 6 load shedding was implemented.
“We have requested all municipalities to report to us, in detail, on the status of their back-up systems. Water and sewage pumps and all emergency services must be able to operate during high levels of load shedding. Municipalities can approach us for assistance in this regard,” he said.
The Public Works Department also presented real-time data that monitors diesel levels at hospitals to ensure back-up power was readily available.
The PDMC is also in talks with telecommunications companies about their back-up power systems, so that their towers can urgently secure communication networks during extended periods of load shedding.
“We know this is a stressful time for all. Eskom is a challenge that needs to be solved on a national level but, now, we can all help through saving electricity, especially during peak hours,” Bredell added.
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