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We will save the EC economy by providing energy security

By

Dear Editor

Rolling blackouts due to Eskom’s load-shedding has brought the economy of the Eastern Cape, to its knees and has had a massive impact on the business sector.

Today, 9 April 2024, I was joined by DA Federal Chairperson, Dr Ivan Meyer, Winterhoek Constituency Leader, Marshall von Buchenroder MPL, and DA EC Provincial Spokesperson, Cllr Georgina Faldtman, in visiting Kariega – the hub of the Eastern Cape’s automotive industry and one of the province’s main economic drivers.

The EC provincial government has made it abundantly clear that it will not put a contingency plan in place to mitigate the destructive impact of load-shedding.

The only way to save the economy of this province is by urgently implementing alternative energy sources, but this will not be possible without government support for the business sector.

We need to expand the rollout of wind and solar power, as well as to encourage independent power suppliers to come on board and free municipalities to purchase it.

The DA in the Eastern Cape has formulated strategies to deal with the energy crisis at a provincial level.

These strategies include:

  • Working with municipalities and government departments to implement renewable energy projects that would lessen the reliance on Eskom. This will decrease demand on the current grid, reducing load-shedding, while also potentially reducing operating costs. The Eastern Cape Province is considered ideal for renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydro-power;
  • Setting up an energy task team composed of experts in the field who can advise on energy resilience and focus on the energy crisis. This team will devise an energy action plan with short, medium, and long-term interventions;
  • Setting up an energy safety team that assists the SAPS in protecting key provincial energy infrastructure, and dealing with vandalism, theft, and unauthorised connections;
  • Imposing stricter scrap metal laws that will tighten regulations around scrap metal trading, especially copper; and
    Providing energy kits for disadvantaged households.

A DA government will improve the reliability of power supply by unbundling and restructuring Eskom to establish an open electricity market and we will move away from reliance on Eskom and increase the usage of renewable energy sources.

At the National and Provincial elections on 29 May, we will rescue South Africa and the residents and economy of the Eastern Cape, by electing a DA government that will ensure energy security and end load-shedding.

Regards

Yusuf Cassim MPL
DA EC Provincial Chairperson

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