Ramaphosa to appoint Minister of Electricity as crisis is declared a national disaster

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that he would be appointing a new Minister of Electricity in The Presidency coordinate the response to the electricity crisis, which has now officially been declared a “national disaster” with immediate effect. In his seventh State of the Nation Address on February 9, which was initially disrupted by the Economic Freedom Fighters, the President acknowledged that the country was “in the grips of a profound energy crisis”, which was not only stymying the economic recovery from Covid but also threatening social stability and food security.