Incessant power outages plague Germiston communities
by Cllr. Sally Nene — DA PR Councillor in Ekurhuleni
Date: 23 July 2021
Release: Immediate
Type: Media statement
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Ekurhuleni is appalled by the ANC Coalition’s* inability to manage the power supply in the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE).
As the DA, we receive calls from residents and businesses, daily, expressing their anger at the frequency of power outages in the failing ANC-led CoE. These incessant power outages are causing massive disruptions for residents and businesses alike.
Once again, large areas of Germiston were left without electricity for extended periods. Residents from Delville, Germiston South, and Elsburg Road have been without electricity since 01h00 on Wednesday, the 21st of July.
The initial feedback from the CoE was that electricity would be restored by 23h00 on Wednesday, 21 July. Power restoration did not happen at the communicated time. Instead, residents were informed that there are additional issues with the transformer, and restoration will only take place at 20h00 on Thursday, 22 July.
It is now Friday, the 23rd of July, and the power is still not restored. Residents are now up in arms, as they have been without power for almost 60 hours, during winter, amid a cold front.
It is completely unacceptable that residents are left in the dark, while many of them are working from home and some are dependent on oxygen and nebulizers. Businesses in the area are forced to close shop, resulting in the loss of productivity and revenue.
The failing ANC and its coalition partners* continue to trample on communities’ basic rights to electricity, as the City’s infrastructure continues to fail. Unfortunately, residents are the ones that ultimately suffer from the CoE’s poor planning and mismanagement.
Ekurhuleni’s failing infrastructure further exacerbates the issue of frequent power outages and the ANC and its coalition partners have not bothered to invest in the upgrading of the City’s infrastructure, despite the DA’s pleas.
To add insult to injury, the Executive Mayor, Cllr. Mzwandile Masina and the City Manager, Dr. Imogen Mashazi, are once again missing in action when asked to intervene.
The dismal failure to deliver basic services highlights the incompetence of the ANC and its coalition partners. The residents of Ekurhuleni deserve a well-run government that delivers basic services. A DA-run Ekurhuleni will get the basics right by ensuring effective and responsive service delivery.
#Time4Change
*ANC Coalition Partners: African Independent Congress (AIC), Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), Patriotic Alliance (PA) and Independent Ratepayers Association of South Africa (IRASA)
Cllr. Sally Nene
DA PR Councillor in Ekurhuleni
