A man lits up a candle during a power cut in Johannesburg, South Africa, Dec. 24, 2022. (Photo by Shiraaz Mohamed/Xinhua)
South Africa has terminated the national state of disaster due to the lack of electricity with immediate effect, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Thembi Nkadimeng said Wednesday.
JOHANNESBURG, April 6 (Xinhua) -- South Africa has terminated the national state of disaster due to the lack of electricity with immediate effect, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Thembi Nkadimeng said Wednesday.
The government's decision to terminate the national state of disaster is motivated by the fact that a number of measures are being taken to achieve the objective of relieving the impact of the severe energy constraints on the economy and society, Nkadimeng said at a media briefing in Pretoria, the country's administrative capital.
A staff member works inside a restaurant during a power cut in Cape Town, South Africa, on June 28, 2022. (Xinhua/Lyu Tianran)
The goal of declaring the national state of disaster at that time was to make sure that quick actions will be taken to lessen the effects of load shedding on sensitive industries like the health sector and small companies, the minister said.
Since February, the government has implemented extensive regulations that outline the duties of various state organs to lessen the effects of extreme load shedding and stop the worsening of power supply shortages, she said.
South Africa has been experiencing electricity shortages. To cope with the electricity crisis, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national state of disaster in early February. ■
