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Anton Bredell, Western Cape MEC of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, today wrote to Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, National Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, to ask for a coordinated disaster management planning approach regarding the current situation at Eskom.

“We have done our planning and are currently working with all affected role-players in the Western Cape, but Eskom is a national risk at the moment, and we all need to work in a coordinated manner to address it,” Bredell said.

Bredell said that until such time as Eskom has addressed its labor challenges, it is reasonable to expect frequent and high levels of load shedding. We are currently liaising with municipalities and the City of Cape Town to ensure all backup systems and emergency equipment is ready for possible system emergencies, but this needs to be done on a national level as well.

Bredell further said that provincial and local authorities need to know what the security arrangements would be for the protection of nationally owned critical installations and fuel supplies situated in the various provinces throughout South Africa in the context of a prolonged unstable electricity supply situation.

Said Bredell: “In view of the above I respectfully request clarity on the national response to a further decrease in the national electricity grid capacity and the contingencies to be implemented in response thereto.”

Issued by Western Cape Local Government