The secretary-general of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), Fikile Mbalula, has warned that South Africa could become a "failed state" if the months-long power cuts continue.

Mbalula acknowledged on a BBC program that the power cuts, which last up to 10 hours a day, are a "disaster" for South Africa, as they have aggravated an economic crisis that was already being exacerbated by the high levels of corruption in the political class.

"South Africa is going through challenges like many other countries (...) If certain things are not resolved, we will become a failed state," warned Mbalula, although he assured that the country, at the moment, "is not heading in that direction, so it would still be an "exaggeration" to speak in those terms.

However, the ANC secretary-general said that although the South African situation is dependent on the global economy and the consequences of the new coronavirus crisis and now the war in Ukraine, he acknowledged that part of the blame also lies with the management of the current government. (News)