The IFP has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to immediately start exempting water infrastructure from load shedding after he made this promise during his State of the Nation address (Sona).
IFP chief whip Narend Singh said when Ramaphosa tabled his Sona two weeks ago he said hospitals and water infrastructure will be exempted from load shedding to minimise damage.
Singh said two weeks later nothing has happened in KwaZulu-Natal, despite the announcement to declare the national state of disaster.
“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,” said Singh.
He said Ramaphosa must call on Eskom to work with water bodies in the province to look at the critical infrastructure that needs to be exempted.
The situation needs to be resolved as a matter of urgency, he said.
Health Minister Joe Phaahla had made a similar appeal shortly before the state of disaster was declared.
He had called for the exemption of the hospitals from load shedding, as it would cause damage to the work done by the hospitals.
Current Affairs