Cape Town – The Economic Freedom Fighter (EFF) has condemned the Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan’s appeal to set aside the judgment that was handed down by the North Gauteng High Court last Friday on load shedding, labelling it as “callous and inhumane”.
The Court’s ruling instructed Eskom to provide an uninterrupted supply of electricity to all public schools, clinics, hospitals, and police stations.
The judgment was handed down after 19 organisations and political parties, including the IFP, ActionSA, UDM, Bosa, National Union of Metal Workers of South Africa and Saftu took Eskom to court, arguing that load shedding should be declared unconstitutional.
The court found that the state breached its constitutional and statutory duties and that these breaches were infringing on citizen’s rights to healthcare, education and security.
However, Gordhan said that his department has serious concerns about the implications of the court ruling on the current efforts to stabilise the national grid and get the country out of load shedding.
“The department has studied the ruling and has determined through legal advice that the prudent step to take is to lodge an appeal to set aside the ruling and allow for the ongoing efforts to end load shedding to proceed without putting undue risk on the country’s grid infrastructure,” Gordhan said.
EFF Condemns The Decision By Government To Appeal High Court Decision To Exempt Schools, Hospitals And Police Stations From Loadshedding pic.twitter.com/nCKuTUTHG2
— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) May 8, 2023
The EFF accused the government of jeopardising public health and the right to education.
“The judgement by the High Court is based on the fact that healthcare, education and the provision of policing services are Constitutional rights that South Africans have been deprived of due to the man-made energy crisis in the country. In their quest to privatize ESKOM, Cyril Ramaphosa and Pravin Gordhan have jeopardized the lives of those in public hospitals, have undermined the right to education of those in public schooling facilities and have worsened the incapacity of SAPS to fight crime,” the party said.
“To oppose such a legally sound, ethical and human judgment is pure arrogance, constitutional delinquency and a reaffirmation of the disregard the ruling party has for ordinary people and the poor.”
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Compiled by Junaid Benjamin
