Simultaneous decision on Eskom state of disaster, exemption U-turn ‘pure coincidence’
The Cooperative Governance Department has suggested the simultaneous decision to end the state of disaster on electricity and government's U-turn on Eskom's PFMA exemption are pure coincidence.
The state of disaster was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa during his State of the Nation Address in February as part of government's effort to deal with load shedding.
"The minister was today before parliament and by extension, before the county trying to explain the rationale and what were the reasons why they arrived at that determination,” COGTA Deputy Minister Parks Tau said at a briefing on Wednesday afternoon.
READ: Govt scraps load shedding state of disaster
"Since they made that determination before the withdrawal the National Treasury, principally through the acting director-general, has been on various platforms trying to explain how they arrived at that determination. So I guess that is a conversation outside this domain of the declaration or termination of the state of disaster."
Meanwhile, the uMsundunduzi Municipality has vowed to beef up security following recent attacks on its electricity staff.
The city says employees on duty after hours have been victims of muggings and other attacks by residents.
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City manager Lulamile Mapholoba says work will continue, but security guards will now escort the workers.
"To ensure that we secure our staff and that our staff continues to work under conditions that are safe for them. But we will continue to ensure that communities are not affected. When they have to be attended to, even in the middle of the night, they are attended too."
