Cape Town - The Muslim community has called on Eskom to keep the power on for Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations, after load shedding was suspended for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, and downgraded to Stage 1 for the Easter weekend.
Frustrated Muslims have had to contend with Stage 6 load shedding – up to 10 hours of power outages a day – during the holy month of Ramadaan, which draws to a close this weekend.
Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena said yesterday that the load-shedding schedule for the weekend will be made available today.
In an open letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa, the Gatesville Mosque (Majisdul Quds, Cape Town) called on him to consider a temporary halt to load shedding.
The appeal, made by Mohammed Abdulla on behalf of the mosque’s executive committee and all Muslims, reads: “We kindly urge you to consider a temporary reprieve of load shedding as we enter the festive days of Eid.
“You did so commendably over the Christmas period. This gesture will go far to bring the blessed month of Ramadaan to a climax and particularly assist in the festive preparations. We will continue to pray for an end to our power crisis which is creating so much havoc in our beautiful country.”
In December, Eskom had suspended load shedding on Christmas Day “due to the lower demand for electricity”.
The Muslim Judicial Council also shared the Gatesville Mosque's call saying that load shedding will impede on Muslims experiencing the full extent of Eid.
"The prevalence of load shedding these days will impede Muslims from experiencing the full extent of such quality family time through rather obvious manifestations of load shedding.
"The effects of power outages during this period will further the ends of dejection especially when people are unable to experience the full extent of their religious holidays.
"In recent days, and rightly so, load shedding was suspended to accommodate South Africans celebrating their respective holy days. This in particular the relaxation of the load shedding schedule during the Christmas and Easter periods.
"The Muslim community of South Africa expects to spend this time of Eid unbridled by the implications so imposed by the impediment of load shedding."
But in a response to the on Tuesday, Eskom’s Mokwena said: “We can only give the forecast for the weekend tomorrow and in as far as the hours of load shedding, that depends on the schedule and the stage called at the time.
Members of the public can always check their schedules to derive the hours. Also to note that in these metros, both Eskom and the municipalities are supplying electricity and municipalities have their own schedules,” she said.
On Tuesday, government spokesperson Michael Currin said, “We take this as a very serious problem for its impact on our society and our economy.”
He noted the president’s extraordinary measure of putting in place a “minister of electricity”, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa whose job it is to remove “bottlenecks” hampering electricity delivery at the legislative, policy and departmental levels.
“As we enter this very holy period, we really do send our very best to all the Muslim readers for Eid. Obviously it’s not what we hope to have as a country but I do have to say that the energy and the resources of the state are fully mobilised around bringing a solution to our energy crisis, both in the immediate term by ensuring our power stations perform better but also in the medium to long term by rebuilding our energy sources from different places.”
Social and economic commentator Moeshfieka Botha appealed to the government to spare Muslims, who have fasted the past month, this Eid.
She posted on Facebook: “Over Christmas and Easter (rightfully so) we had reduced load shedding. In the run-up to the EFF march, we had reduced load shedding.
“May I ask that Muslims who have gone through the entire month of Ramadaan with load shedding – please be given some consideration with regard to the easing of the load-shedding schedule on Eid.”
rafieka.williams@inl.co.za