Cape Town – Premier Alan Winde’s weekly digicons are making a comeback.
This time not for Covid-19 updates, but to deal with what the Western Cape government has labelled “the energy crisis” and the first is scheduled for next week.
Winde made the announcement during his fifth State of the Province Address (Sopa) on Thursday morning and said the Province’s interventions would be led by the Western Cape Energy Council set up towards the end of 2022, at the height of Eskom’s Stage 6 rolling blackouts.
Winde said: “I have requested the provincial treasury to allocate over R1 billion to respond to the energy crisis in the upcoming three-year budget period.”
He said the funds would go towards responding to the short-term impact of load shedding now on government services; securing diesel to keep essential public services running during load shedding; and helping buffer schools from load shedding.
The money will also be used for providing poorer households with “power packs'' that help reduce the impact of load shedding on daily tasks and assisting SMMEs in assessing and implementing alternative energy options.
In January, Winde hosted the first meeting of the energy council where former Eskom manager Alwie Lester, who has been appointed as an energy adviser in the Office of the Premier, was also officially introduced to other council officials.
Commenting on the Sopa, mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis welcomed the R1 billion response to the energy crisis
Hill-Lewis said: “The prospect of schools becoming more energy resilient through solar PV installations, is welcome news. This means schools can be paid cash for power as part of the City’s plans to buy excess power from businesses, residents, and small-scale embedded generators.”
In the health sphere Winde said his government was continuously expanding health services to meet the needs of a growing population.
“The redevelopment of the Tygerberg Hospital – the biggest hospital in the Western Cape and the second biggest hospital in South Africa – is making steady progress through its public-private sector partnership.”
On this point ANC provincial health spokesperson Rachel Windvogel begged to differ.
Commenting after the Sopa, Windvogel said: “Winde claims delivering quality health care to Western Cape residents is vital to ensuring people's well-being, yet his government has failed to address the crisis of people sleeping on floors in Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain district hospitals.
“The people of the City of Cape Town feel the impact of the reckless decision to close down the GF Jooste Hospital nearly 10 years ago. To this day, not a cent has been spent to rebuild the hospital. India has dropped the ball on this one and failed the people.”
With regards to social housing in the province, Winde said that for the year ahead, the province had committed to creating 9 395 housing opportunities.
Other announcements in the Sopa included one that the Province has been allowed to rename its departments of Human Settlements, Transport, and Public Works.
Human Settlements, under MEC Tertuis Simmers, will from April be known as the Infrastructure Department and will be taking over the public works components of the erstwhile Transport and Public Works Department.
The Transport Department will be officially renamed the Mobility Department and will focus on tackling the challenge of the transport system.
Winde said the new Mobility MEC to replace Daylin Mitchell, who was elected Legislature Speaker last year, would be named early next week.
It was the first sitting of the legislature and first Sopa presided over by Speaker Mitchell.
Mitchell said: “I think it was a successful sitting, and despite a number of interjections and points of order, the premier was able to deliver his speech to the house and the people of the province.
“I am looking forward to tomorrow’s sitting, during which political parties will have the opportunity to debate the Sopa.”
mwangi.githahu@inl.co.za