MMC for Energy goes Quiet on Kwa-Thema Electricity Issue

by Cllr. Precious Jacobs — DA PR Councillor in Ekurhuleni

Date: 8 August 2023

Release: Immediate

Type: Press Statement

In the 27 July 2023, Ordinary Council Meeting, Cllr. Precious Jacobs, Democratic Alliance (DA) PR Councillor for Kwa-Thema, posed an oral question to the EFF Member of Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Energy, Cllr. Leshaka Manamela around the whereabouts of the new transformer which was promised to the community of Kwa-Thema following the Nakabinde substation fire in May 2023.

When the MMC was asked whether there is a plan to rebuild/repair the substation and by when (give expected date) can residents expect delivery of the transformer as promised by the city?

The MMC responded by stating that:

”The department submitted an insurance claim for the rebuilding works of the Nkabinde substation. Once the assessments are completed and the outcome received, timelines can be provided”.

Perplexed by the vagueness and lack of urgency around the response, Cllr. Jacobs asked the MMC to commit to meeting with residents in the following week to provide feedback regarding the issue at hand.

The MMC committed to meeting with residents but failed to provide a provisional date as to when residents could expect this meeting.

The inadequate and careless response to the oral question has created suspicions that the MMC is again trying to avoid answering questions on the controversial issues that have outraged Kwa-Thema residents during his term in office.

The MMC has seemingly gone silent around the issue while the electricity problem in the ward grows ever more dire by the day. Residents have been experiencing erratic power outages since the May 2023 fire and have not been receiving adequate communication and feedback from the Energy Department around these outages. This has resulted in increased frustration among residents to the extent that protests have flared up in the area, leaving destruction in its wake.

With another suspected protest on the horizon, the DA deems it pertinent that MMC fulfils his Constitutional Mandate by meeting with residents and providing feedback on the electricity issue, instead of avoiding the issue in its entirety.

As a follow-up, the DA has since sent a letter to the MMC’s Office to secure a public meeting with the residents of Kwa-Thema.

The residents of Kwa-Thema deserve an answer!

We will not stand by and allow our residents to be ignored by the EFF-led Coalition while they suffer without adequate electricity provision.

Media Enquiries

Cllr. Precious Jacobs

DA PR Councillor in Ekurhuleni

076 712 5405