Regulations for state of disaster will be transparent, assures government

Minister in the presidency Mondli Gungubele has assured South Africans the gazetted regulations for the national state of disaster on the energy crisis will be followed with transparency and provide government with “the extraordinary measures required to deal with our energy constraints”.

Co-operative governance and traditional affairs minister Nkozasana Dlamini Zuma gazetted the regulations for the energy crisis national state of disaster last week, after President Cyril Ramaphosa declared it during his state of the nation address (Sona). 

“The national state of disaster emphasises our determination to support and work with all South Africans and sectors of society negatively affected by the severe electricity supply. The regulations aim to assist, protect and provide relief to the public, protect property, prevent and combat disruption, and deal with the destructive nature and other effects of the disaster,” Gungubele said during a media briefing at the weekend.

“We are confident the regulations will provide the extraordinary measures required to deal with our energy constraints. These regulations came into operation on the date of publication in the government gazette.”

Gungubele said the lessons learnt during the Covid-19 national state of disaster would be used to address the electricity crisis.

“These regulations are to ensure the country does not get into a state of emergency and not to undermine any social liberty or the rights of individuals or groups in any way,” he said.

“As we set out to mobilise resources to support and address the disaster, we are putting measures in place to safeguard these financial resources. The government, working with all stakeholders, will ensure all the resources are used for their intended purposes and reach the intended recipients.

“Oversight structures like the auditor-general and parliament, as set out in the regulations, will monitor the use of funds. Specifically, the auditor-general will undertake real-time audits while reports to parliament have to be submitted by respective institutions in the month expenditure took place, and reports have to be published.

“Our focus is to ensure there is value for money, transparency and accountability.”

Gungubele called on the public not to post fake news, as it created panic and instability.

“We all have a duty to act responsibly and in the interest of society. We work hard and understand the plight of all those affected by the devastation of the power outages. We appreciate the co-operation from all sectors and society at large as we respond to this disaster.”

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