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The Free State provincial government has no disaster management interventions to assist residents during loadshedding.

Internal ANC factional battles continue to dominate the political space in the province as residents are without, or have restricted, basic services, and the provincial economy is under severe stress.

Loadshedding in the Free State is devastating our provincial economy and affecting people’s rights to access sustainable and safe water resources, and now also their food security. Section 27 of the Constitution indicates that “everyone has the right to have access to... sufficient food and water."

Residents of many Free State towns were without water before loadshedding and now municipalities are citing loadshedding as an excuse not to pump and purify water. Preparations were not made to secure generators, and negotiations have not taken place with Eskom to ensure that electricity for essential services is exempt from loadshedding.

The DA has sympathy with residents who are protesting against the ANC-run provincial and municipal governments. We plead with protesting residents not to destroy the property of other residents or block access routes with burning tyres or rocks during such protests.

Free State residents must use their democratic rights to vote in 2024 to take the power away from the dysfunctional and corrupt ANC, who have stolen our power.

Issued by Dr Roy Jankielsohn - DA Free State Provincial Leader