19 organisations given March court date in load shedding case
A court date has been set for a joint application against Eskom to stop load shedding.
Nineteen organisations have come together to challenge the power producer in a two-part application to be heard next month.
The first will deal with government's handling of the energy crisis by instituting load shedding.
The applicants will argue it's unconstitutional.
The second part seeks to hold the president responsible for the human cost of load shedding.
The High Court in Gauteng has set aside the 20th to the 24th of March for the application.
READ: Eskom 'to study' govt gazette on electricity disaster
Trade union Numsa is among the list of applicants.
"The applicants argue that load shedding has become a pressing human rights concern. The government's response has undermined the fundamental rights of citizens," says spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola.
"The relief sought by the applicants, who include nurses, doctors, small businesses, is in the first instance that the government is under a duty to prevent the humanitarian catastrophe which has been directly caused by load shedding
"To prevent the human cost of load shedding, which the government has ignored, the applicants ask for compliance with the Constitution, which requires that in times of hardship, the needs of the poor and marginalised must be prioritised."
