Civil society's voice has once again been heard as OUTA challenged the government's irrational decision to declare a state of disaster on the energy crisis on 5 April. The government had already compiled an energy plan to combat the electricity crisis, making the state of disaster unnecessary. Moreover, the state of disaster could potentially have hindered transparency by allowing for deviation from procurement rules, leaving the door wide open to even more corruption and maladministration – the very thing that got us into this mess in the first place. Government also gave in to public pressure when it revoked its decision to grant Eskom exemption from complying with the Public Finance Management Act, something that could also have led to more corruption and wasteful expenditure. A government forced to change its mind, is a clear demonstration that civil society has a powerful voice that cannot be ignored. 

Click here to read the full story on our legal challenge and click here to read why we are against PMFA exemption for Eskom.