Residents suffer, food goes to waste as Putfontein endures endless power outages

by Cllr Mike da Silva — DA PR Councillor in Ekurhuleni

Date: 20 February 2024

Release: Immediate

Type: Media statement

The DA in Ekurhuleni is deeply concerned about the worrying impact that endless power outages are having on the community of Putfontein.

The area has been plagued by an increasing amount of power outages, some lasting 4 or 5 days at a time. The primary cause of these outages, is the overhead infastructure which is prone to tripping in instances of bad weather.

The impact to the residents of this area cannot be understated. Phases tripping, incorrect voltage levels, faulty transformers, illegal connections and more are wrecking havoc on the lives of residents, businesses, and NPOs who are already struggling amidst a cost of living crisis.

One NPO, which usually feeds more than 300 people a week reported that they were not able to assist 200 people due to the food in their fridges going off.

Other residents expressed concerns over their medication, their children being unable to bath and go to school, a lack of water due to inoperable boreholes, and being unable to fulfill business orders or serve customers.

Repeated attempts to have the issue resolved within the service delivery standard time bore no fruit , for reasons not fully communicated by the city, but likely revolving around the insufficient staffing capacity in the Benoni energy depot as well as the depletion of overtime pay.

The DA urges the MMC for Finance, Nkululeko Dunga to use the adjustment budget to allocate funds for the much needed infastructure upgrade in the Agricultural areas of Benoni.

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Cllr Mike da Silva

DA Councillor in Ekurhuleni

072 963 2654