It is far from clear what good will come from the decision to declare South Africa’s long-running electricity crisis a State of Disaster. That’s not to say loadshedding isn’t a disaster; it most certainly is. However, it is not at all clear how the declaration of a State of Disaster will ensure that the implementation of the Energy Action Plan will be made more effective, and less prone to missteps and corruption. As with the appointment of a Minister of Electricity, it seems to be more about political theatre than policy coherence.