Germiston residents without power… Again!
by Cllr Wendy Morgan — DA Ward 36 Councillor in Ekurhuleni
Date: 18 May 2021
Release: Immediate
Type: Media statement
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Ekurhuleni is appalled by the ANC Coalition’s inability to manage power supply in the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE).
Once again, Germiston residents have been left without power for over five days.
Residents in Malvern East have had no power from Sunday, 8 May 2021. This incident was reported under reference number 4732427. Yet, to date, the power has not been restored.
In Irene Road in Driehoek, there are properties that have been without power for over a week. This matter was also reported under reference number 4725037 and residents were simply told that the Department of Energy does not have sufficient cable to repair the fault.
Non-functional streetlights have also been an issue in the following areas — Castleview, Dinwiddie and Elandshaven, Wychwood and Primrose. These faulty streetlights have been dysfunctional for almost a year, despite being reported to the CoE on several occasions.
The DA shares the anger and frustration of the residents of Ekurhuleni as they must endure recurring power outages. We receive calls from residents and businesses, daily, expressing their anger at the frequency of power outages in the CoE. Additionally, power outages take prolonged periods of time to get resolved.
Furthermore, the City’s failing infrastructure further exacerbates the issue of frequent power outages and the CoE has not bothered to invest in the upgrading of its infrastructure.
As the DA, we are completely appalled by the lack of response from the ANC-led coalition* government in Ekurhuleni, as they continue to trample on communities’ basic rights to electricity as infrastructure continues to fail. It is extremely unfortunate that residents are the ones that ultimately suffer from the CoE’s poor planning and management.
According to the Executive Mayor, Cllr. Mzwandile Masina, the CoE is a ‘State of the Art City’. For a ‘State of the Art City’, Ekurhuleni is certainly in a very sad state of affairs!
The residents of Ekurhuleni deserve a well-run government that delivers basic services and provides a healthy and safe environment. A DA-run Ekurhuleni will get the basics right by ensuring effective and responsive service delivery.
*Coalition Partners: African Independent Congress (AIC), Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), Patriotic Alliance (PA) and Independent Ratepayers Association of South Africa (IRASA)
Cllr. Wendy Morgan
DA Ward 36 Councillor in Ekurhuleni
