Court refuses govt appeal on power cuts at hospitals, SAPS, schools
The High Court in Pretoria has refused Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, Eskom and the government's application for leave to appeal against an earlier ruling on load shedding.
The unsuccessful attempt means a previous ruling ordering the government to prevent load shedding at all public schools, hospitals, and the South African Police Service still stands.
The judgment came as South Africa had gone some 50 days without the dreaded planned power cuts.
Several political parties and other organisations lodged a complaint against Eskom, calling for schools, hospitals, and police stations to be spared the brunt of load shedding last year.
ActionSA's Mpho Madisha says the fact that Eskom and the government saw it fit to appeal the order indicates that load shedding is not yet a thing of the past.
"In a landmark judgment handed down by the Full Bench of the North Gauteng High Court on December 1, 2023, the court ruled in favour of ActionSA's request that hospitals, schools, and police stations be exempted from experiencing rolling blackouts. It is inspiring to see that the judiciary remains on the side of the most vulnerable members of society.”
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