Solidarity wants Eskom crisis declared a disaster

By Anele Siwa
29 January 2008

The trade union Solidarity will hand a request to President Thabo Mbeki today asking him to pronounce the Eskom crisis a disaster in terms of the Disaster Management Act.

“This request comes after the collapse of our country's mining industry on Friday when gold and platinum mines (were) paralysed by the electricity crisis,” says Jaco Kleynhans.

According to Kleynhans this Act allows a disaster to be confirmed where damage to property and infrastructure and social disorder are bigger than the capacity of a community to cope with its results, when using its own resources.

“We believe its not possible for normal South Africans to deal with the situation any more, people are losing their jobs and income,” says Kleynhans.

Last week the government urged the South African public to see the problem as a national challenge, and not as Eskom's problem alone.

Attempts to get hold of Department of Minerals and Energy have failed.