A disaster of politics: The energy supply crisis in South Africa

Abstract

On 09 February 2023, the South African government declared and classified the energy supply crisis in South Africa as a state of disaster. This is directly the opposite of what the president announced a few months before the event (Ramaphosa 2022). To answer the question posed in the title of this opinion piece, it is necessary to take a brief look at the build-up to the declaration and classification of the state of disaster of 09 February 2023. Then I will discuss what a disaster entails according to South African legislation, and I will conclude with closing comments.