The Pretoria High Court ruled that government schools, hospitals and clinics, and the country’s police buildings be exempted from load-shedding. The high court ruled that load-shedding constituted an infringement of constitutional rights.
This follows after the UDM and other political parties submitted an application arguing that the government and Eskom had violated basic human rights with the implementation of load shedding in critical areas such as hospitals and schools.
The parties were represented by advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi against Department of Public Enterprise.
Pravin Gordon, Public Enterprise minister is given 60 days to “take all reasonable steps” to stop the load shedding in critical areas. Judge Norman Davis said if the buildings or cities can’t be isolated from load shedding, the minister needs to provide alternative supplies such as generators.
“Individual solutions therefore need to be devised in instances where the DPE minister cannot secure exemptions, such as the provision of generators or alternate energy supplies.”
Ruse Moleshe, Energy expect said that the verdict by the Judge is not practical as there are schools, hospitals, and police stations in every neighbourhood.
“They cannot be isolated because they are embedded in medium voltage grids and municipal networks throughout the country. To implement this decision other customers would have to make up for that supply shortfall or be shed more frequently than it is the case currently.”
