Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning

1. The Provincial Winter Readiness Plan highlights the high and medium risks for the winter season, which includes the impacts of load-shedding. The residual impact of the winter season, coupled with ongoing load-shedding, increases the dependency on alternative heat sources, contributing to the fire risk, especially in informal settlements. 
2. The Department of Local Government ensures ongoing planning with disaster management centres in the province to address winter challenges such as flooding, drought, and fires. In addition, the Department highlights the impact of load-shedding as per the Provincial Major Electricity Disruption Plan, which forms part of the Department's ongoing planning. The Departments of Provincial Fire Rescue Services have plans to mitigate the increase, such as providing awareness material and installing 13 000 smoke alarms in informal settlements in the past seven years. From 2015-2022, an amount of R2 632 652 71 was spent on fire alarm installations in informal settlements. 

(c)       None. However, the Western Cape Provincial Disaster Management Centre developed the Major Electricity Disruption Contingency Plan in-house during 2018/2019 at no cost to the Department. This plan provides a standardised multi-disciplinary response framework to the impacts of a national or regional electricity blackout, severe supply constraint, severe weather conditions or security situations, etc. and addresses the coordination of significant load-shedding and the impacts thereof.   Planning in the province has also focussed on stakeholders and municipalities ensuring ongoing electricity contingency planning.