DA calls for a halt to plans for brutal power cuts in municipalities
10 April 2015
The DA notes with concern the announcement just made by Eskom that it is considering interrupting the bulk electricity supply to the top 20 defaulting municipalities across the country starting in June this year.
Eskom's plans include power cuts on weekdays from 6 - 10am, and 5 - 9pm in the evenings. This is a particularly brutal proposal that will leave residents in the dark and destitute at crucial times of the day.
The DA is of the view that Minister of Public Enterprises, Lynne Brown, together with Minister Gordhan, should rather invoke a section 154(1) intervention in terms of the Constitution to lend support to these municipalities.
Just last week my colleague, Kevin Mileham MP, requested a meeting with Minister Pravin Gordhan to halt all plans to cut essential services to municipalities who are unable to make their electricity payments.
We believe that both Minister Brown and Minister Gordhan should immediately resist endorsing this plan.
I will write to Minister Brown asking her to immediately instruct Eskom to halt this plan until she has fully engaged all the various stakeholders as to the best way forward to recoup this money owed to Eskom and insist that:
All revenue raised by municipalities through the resale of electricity should be ring-fenced for the payment of amounts owed to Eskom; and
That these funds be used for the upgrading and maintenance of electricity infrastructure.
The current electricity crisis has been caused by undue political influence, financial mismanagement and poor leadership. It is simply unfair that residents of these municipalities should be victimised by a state who has consistently failed to arrest the degeneration of service delivery.
At the heart of good governance is service to the people. This proposed plan will victimise residents of these municipalities and is not the best way forward.
Statement issued by Natasha Mazzone MP, DA Shadow Minister of Public Enterprises, April 11 2015
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