‘An opportunity to loot’: Mashaba slams National State of Disaster

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has slammed the National State of Disaster declared on the ongoing energy crisis in the country saying it will open South Africa up for looting as was the case at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

While during his State of the Nation Address (SONA), Ramaphosa said a National State of Disaster will be implemented in order to avoid a total blackout and is effective immediately. 

MASHABA AGAINST NATIONAL STATE OF DISASTER 

On Thursday, Ramaphosa revealed that government will implement a National State of Disaster to tackle the energy crisis and it has already been gazetted by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Minister, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

“To deal more effectively and urgently with the challenges that confront us, I will appoint a Minister of Electricity in the Presidency to assume full responsibility for overseeing all aspects of the electricity crisis response, including the work of the National Energy Crisis Committee,” he added.  

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Mashaba said they will never support a National State of Disaster that gives the Presidency and the executive centralised power to abuse state resources. 

What we witnessed tonight at #SONA2023, is a clear example of executive overreach & will open SA up looting just as we witnessed during COVID-19.

We will never support a a State of Disaster that gives the Presidency & the executive centralised power to abuse state resources.

— Herman Mashaba (@HermanMashaba) February 9, 2023

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The Democratic Alliance also vowed to challenge the decision in court saying South Africa has been down this road before.

“Our country simply cannot survive another round of the looting and irrationality we saw during the Covid pandemic. Last time around, the lack of accountability under a National State of Disaster enables Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma – who is again in charge of managing the ANC-made load shedding disaster – to issue nonsensical and economically destructive regulations that were entirely disconnected from Covid, including by banning everything from cooked chicken to open-toed shoes and alcohol,” DA leader, John Steenhuisen said.

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