Nigel plunged into proverbial darkness
by Cllr. Wollaston Labuschagne — DA Ward Councillor in Ekurhuleni
Date: 23 June 2021
Release: Immediate
Type: Media statement
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Ekurhuleni is completely appalled by the ANC coalition’s* inability to manage power supply in the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE). The incessant power outages experienced in Ekurhuleni have caused massive disruptions for residents and businesses alike.
On Sunday, the 20th of June, Nigel was plunged into darkness, and residents have been without power since then.
It is alleged that a 88Kva electrical pylon fell over on the border of Wards 88 and 98. Soon after the power went off, it was established that, indeed, one of the structures supporting Nigel’s main electricity collapsed because bolts and nuts were stripped from the structure by criminals.
The DA Ward Councillor for Nigel has been in communication with the Ekurhuleni Energy Department with regards to the power outage since Sunday afternoon. Today is the 23rd of June, power has not been restored and the Energy Department has not provided any meaningful communication to Ward Councillors or residents.
The DA has been inundated with calls and messages by desperate and disgruntled community members, and CoE officials are not forthcoming with any information, further aggravating the issue. Residents and the DA are growing increasingly concerned by the lack of meaningful communication or feedback from the delegated officials and the Energy Department. As the DA, we have been calling the Area Manager and the Operations Manager constantly, soliciting information they should be freely providing.
When senior officials do not even bother to at least communicate and provide feedback to councillors, it is a direct reflection of the further lack of service delivery and total disregard by the ANC-led coalition* government for the rate-paying citizens that keep the Metro afloat.
It is evident that the pylon would need to be reconstructed or replaced. However, both the Area Engineer and the Operations Manager seem to be clueless on the matter. When the DA conducted a site visit on Monday, 21 June, the Operations Manager was on-site and, with a straight face, provided the following feedback, “currently the line is down and there is no electricity”!
It is three days into the outage and City officials are still trying to get hold of suitable contractors to remedy the situation. It also appears that the CoE does not have contractors in place to deal with this situation, which is completely unacceptable! Once again, residents and businesses in Ekurhuleni must bear the brunt of the ANC’s poor planning and management.
As the DA, we want to assure residents and business owners that we are doing everything in our power to place the necessary pressure on the Energy Department to expedite the repairs.
Ekurhuleni residents deserve a caring DA government that will ensure that residents enjoy the best of the services offered by the municipality. A DA-led government will ensure that residents enjoy the efficiency of a responsive government, which will ensure that adequate and efficient communication is made available in cases of emergency.
Video Link: https://fb.watch/6jZwgwU8L-/
#Time4Change
*ANC Coalition Partners: African Independent Congress (AIC), Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), Patriotic Alliance (PA) and Independent Ratepayers Association of South Africa (IRASA)
Cllr. Wollaston Labuschagne
DA Ward Councillor in Ekurhuleni
