Political Parties Welcome Court Ruling Exempting Public Facilities from Loadshedding, SA Says It's Bad News

• The Pretoria High Court has ordered government to exempt public facilities from loadshedding
• The ruling comes after political organisations approached the courts to stop loadshedding at schools, hospitals, clinics and police stations
• While political leaders are happy about the victory, Mzansi is worried that the rest of the country will be forced into higher stages of rolling blackouts

JOHANNESBURG - In a historic move, the Pretoria High Court has ordered Public Enterprise Minister Pravin Gordhan to expedite exempting public facilities from loadshedding.

The court added that if the exemption is not possible, the government must provide alternative power supplies, such as generators.

BOSA welcomes Pretoria High Court's ruling to exempt public facilities from loadshedding

The decision by the High Court is a massive victory for over a dozen civil society groups and political organisations that took the government to court.

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The political parties include the Inkhata Freedom Party (IFP), Build One South Africa (BOSA) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).

Taking to social media, BOSA leader Mmusi Maimane stated that the court ruling is a critical victory.

"We have long maintained that you cannot have loadshedding in schools, hospitals and police stations. Today the court has ruled in our favour," said Maimane.

Government plans to challenge Pretoria High Court ruling to exempt public facilities from loadshedding

While many organisations are happy that public schools, hospitals, clinics and police stations will not experience loadshedding in the future, government plans to challenge the High Court's decision.

In response to government's resistance, IFP President Velenkosi Hlabisa stated that the government should not play with South Africans because they have abused the country's resources.

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"The government must not play with the people of South Africa because they have abused the resources of the country," said Hlabisa.

Hlabisa added that if government wants to appeal the decision, it's welcome to do so. Still, South Africans should be aware of the failures of government to fulfil its constitutional mandate.

South Africans fear more loadshedding if public facilities are exempted

@CaptainGrogg said:

"Ethically correct but logistically impossible to implement. Schools, police stations and hospitals sit in the middle of and are scattered around cities, towns and suburbs. They don’t sit on a grid of their own. Do those suburbs stay on all the time, and the others have to go to Stage 12?"

@BladesSpookie said:

"If the ministers' residences can be free from loadshedding, then at least the police, hospitals and schools can also have power during loadshedding. Our government is pathetic, as they were not concerned about other important infrastructures, only about themselves!"

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@Magwalada said:

"That order is not enforceable. What will you do if loadshedding moves to Stage 9, because that is highly probable?"

@Sarah_laubs said:

"When @Eskom_SA cuts the power, there is not enough to go around. So now, with these exclusions, those who aren't the fortunate few will endure more loadshedding. Small businesses now have to run on generators 24/7."

@ravi3i said:

"Mmusi, do you know how impractical this judgement is? This means that those who are outside range will be shed beyond Stage 10."

Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says it’s impossible to end loadshedding by December

Briefly News previously reported that Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Rampkgopa is seemingly changing his tune about when loadshedding may end.

Speaking at the ANC NEC meeting in Boksburg, Ramokgopa said it was technically impossible to end the crippling rolling blackouts by December 2023.

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This comes after it was widely reported that Ramokgopa's energy plan aimed to see South Africa loadshedding-free by the end of the year, TimesLIVE reported.

Source: Briefly News