Political analyst Susan Booysen says the African National Congress’s (ANC) credibility would be restored if it were to find solutions to the country’s energy crisis.
At the just-ended ANC NEC lekgotla in Johannesburg, party members said they wanted a state of national disaster to be declared over the energy crisis.
Eskom is implementing stage four rolling blacks until further notice.
The power utility’s failure to keep the lights on has negatively affected the economy.
Booysen says the public has lost confidence in the governing party ahead of next year’s national elections.
She says, “This is a type of national disaster and crisis which affects South Africans at every level and that is kind of the result of a lack of legitimacy, credibility of our government. It affects the image of the ANC, how the ANC is being seen by citizens and voters in a crucial period…close to a year before national elections.”
“So the ANC really has every bit of interest at stake in trying to control how South Africans see its efforts to contain this crisis that affects absolutely everybody. It’s not possible to imagine the worst kind of election campaign in a year running up to a pivotal campaign,” adds Booysen.
Outcomes of the NEC lekgotla:
