DA — Ekurhuleni must give Power to the People Now
by Ald. Tania Campbell and Cllr. Malcolm Maifala-Masebe
Date: 18 March 2021
Release: Immediate
Type: Press Statement
On Wednesday, 17 March 2021, the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Ekurhuleni embarked on a City-wide motorcade to highlight the constant power outages in the ANC-led Coalition* City of Ekurhuleni (CoE).
The DA shares the anger and frustration of the residents of Ekurhuleni as they have to endure recurring power outages. We receive calls from residents and businesses, daily, expressing their anger at the frequency of power outages in the CoE. We have not remained silent on this matter and will fight to ensure that these outages be rectified, permanently!
Through a motorcade, the DA made it clear that enough is enough! We are fed-up with the lack of response by the ANC-led coalition government in Ekurhuleni, as they continue to trample on communities’ basic rights to electricity as infrastructure continues to fail. We took to the streets of Ekurhuleni as all our efforts (motions to Council) had fallen on deaf ears. It is completely unacceptable that Ekurhuleni residents must experience load shedding and deal with incessant power outages.
Power outages cannot become the norm. We, as the DA, are fighting tirelessly to compel the CoE to address the energy crisis in Ekurhuleni. The ongoing power outages are reaching crisis levels. We cannot allow residents and businesses in Ekurhuleni to bear the brunt of the ANC failures.
Furthermore, the recent NERSA report painted a very gloomy picture of the City, which is immensely concerning. In the report, the issue of staff shortages in the Energy Department is one of the reasons the City experiences frequent power outages.
In October 2020, the DA brought a motion to Council, which sort to compel the City to fill funded vacancies in the Energy Department, which would assist in improving service delivery and turnaround times. The motion was, however, dismissed by the ANC-majority in Council. It is owing to poor governance and management in the City that Ekurhuleni residents continue to suffer.
It must also be noted that the failing infrastructure further exacerbates the issue of frequent power outages in the City. The CoE needs to invest in the upgrading of its infrastructure and ramp up the filling of vacancies in the Energy Department. Furthermore, the CoE must ensure that there is a sustainable strategy to secure electricity infrastructure.
The ANC-led coalition government can no longer hide its head in the sand when it comes to addressing this pressing issue, which continues to be a threat to investment and jobs in the City.
As the DA, we will continue to play our part in taking a decisive stand on behalf of businesses and residents in the City. We will continue to force the uncaring ANC-government to rectify this matter.
It is time the residents of Ekurhuleni turned to the DA to provide Real Hope and Real Change in this City.
Coalition Partners: African Independent Congress (AIC), Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), Patriotic Alliance (PA) and Independent Ratepayers Association of South Africa (IRASA)
Media Enquiries
Ald. Tania Campbell
DA Caucus Leader in Ekurhuleni
Cllr. Malcolm Maifala-Masebe
DA Spokesperson on Public Participation and Petitions
