South Africa: Chris Hani District Residents Say Yes to ERA Bill

30 November 2023
Parliament of South Africa (Cape Town)
press release

Parliament, Thursday, 30 November 2023 - Chris Hani District residents in the Eastern Cape expressed their full support for the Electricity Regulation Amendment (ERA) Bill during public hearings on the Bill conducted by the Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy at the Thobi Kula Indoor Sport Centre in Komani yesterday.

Outlining the purpose of the Bill and the public hearings, committee member Mr Mikateko Mahlaule said the committee was in the district as part of the Eastern Cape leg of public hearings on the Bill. The public hearings give the people of the district an opportunity to express their views on the Bill. Furthermore, the committee welcomes all views, even those rejecting the Bill. He added that where the residents have concerns about some of the clauses in the Bill, they must highlight them and make proposals that will enable the committee to address those concerns.

However, residents had hopes for what the Bill might achieve, saying that they believe it will address load-shedding. They also thanked the committee for visiting their area to seek their views on the Bill.

Several residents made proposals to strengthen the Bill. One such proposal called for the five-year jail sentence for theft and destruction of electricity infrastructure to be increased to 15 years. They explained the heavy toll all South Africans pay due to electricity infrastructure vandalism and called for harsher penalties to deal with these criminals.

The residents also supported the proposed unbundling of Eskom, expressing their optimism that it will guarantee an uninterrupted electricity supply and allow competition in the electricity sector. The Bill proposes that Eskom should be unbundled into separate companies for generation, transmission and distribution, starting with the creation of a transmission entity.

Some participants suggested that South Africa continue to use coal to generate electricity. They argued that the closure of coal stations while the country is experiencing a crisis in electricity provision is premature. They also appealed to the committee to closely monitor the legislation's implementation once it becomes law.

The committee is today conducting public hearings on the Bill in Uitenhage in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality at Babs Madlakane Town Hall in Uitenhage from 10h00 to 14h00.

Read the original article on Parliament of South Africa.

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