South Africa Considers National State of Disaster for Energy Crisis
- Government is seeking legal advice on state of disaster
- Frequent rotational blackouts are crippling the economy
The Newtown district of Johannesburg on January 15.
Photographer: Marco Longari/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
South Africa is considering declaring a national state of disaster as record power cuts cripple the economy.
The government is looking into whether the ongoing energy crisis fulfills the legal requirements for the measure, last put in place in March 2020 to manage the Covid-19 pandemic, President Cyril Ramaphosa said in closing remarks at the ruling African National Congress’s strategy meeting on Monday.