It is absurd that the Northern Cape, as the province with the most sunlight and therefor solar energy potential, should suffer the indignities and economic hardships imposed by loadshedding. Yet medical emergencies are caused by hospitals running out of fuel for generators, water has dried up to due to a lack of power to run pumps and a number of local businesses have had to shut their doors due to the increased costs involved in trying to keep their enterprises running.
With two out of every five people in the province already unable to find jobs, the Democratic Alliance (DA) will make it a priority to keep the lights on.
This begins with restructuring the provincial cabinet to ensure that Energy Resilience is formally added to the portfolio of the MEC for Finance & Economic Development to ensure a laserlike focus on ensuring a reliable supply of affordable electricity to industries, business, and households.
We will develop provincial legislation addressing town planning norms that can enhance electricity, water, and sanitation services to communities. These norms will create an environment that is conducive for the sustained creation of sustainable economic opportunities and make it easier, better, and more profitable for companies to do business in the Northern Cape.
We will follow in the Western Cape’s footsteps by allocating provincial resources to the development of public infrastructure that relies on renewable energy, so that all newly built libraries, clinics, schools, streetlights, traffic lights, and even commercial buildings can keep the lights on using solar power. We will further replicate the success of the Western Cape’s Energy Resilience Programme by incorporating loadshedding relief aimed at mitigating the impact of ongoing power cuts on residents, the private sector, and local government services. Part of this programme includes distribution of loadshedding relief packs containing solar home lighting systems and emergency USB port charges to keep businesses operational during loadshedding.
Rescuing residents from loadshedding is only possible with a competent government that cares more about enriching communities than enriching itself. Rescuing the Northern Cape from the impact of loadshedding requires that residents must vote for the DA on 29 May 2024.