STATEMENT BY THE EXECUTIVE MAYOR, ALDERMAN PATRICIA DE LILLE

RR informal settlement will be electrified in January 2012

The City of Cape Town and Eskom have resolved the two year impasse with the community of RR Section informal settlement over the relocation of a number of households which were blocking the completion and commissioning of the Esethu substation in Khayelitsha.

The agreement to relocate the families to Bardale - where they will have access to basic services, including electricity - has enabled Eskom to start upgrading the existing infrastructure in preparation for the actual electrification of the area early in 2012.

The commissioning of the Esethu substation will see more than 40 000 households gain access to electricity and will boost power supply to the whole of Khayelitsha. The provision of electricity in the area will go a long way towards improving the living conditions of the people in RR Section, many of whom will have electricity in their own households for the first time in their lives.

Eskom has undertaken to work through the festive holidays to ensure that all of the necessary groundwork for the electrification of the area is concluded on time to allow their contractors to lay cables when they return from their holidays.

We try our best to deliver basic services for all of the people. Sometimes we are unable to provide basic services to communities simply because some sections of the community prevent us from doing so as has been the case with this community until recently.

The successful resolution of the deadlock is a shining example of closer co-operation between the City, state institutions and local leaders. We need effective partnerships like this to deliver the highest possible level of basic services to all Capetonians in line with our vision to build a more inclusive and caring city.

This substation was built in 2009 as part of the City and Eskom's plans to provide electricity to informal settlements and to strengthen the existing electricity infrastructure in the Khayelitsha area. To date Eskom was unable to electrify RR Section because households in the way of the pylons and the overhead cables coming from the substation refused to relocate until the Mayor and the local ward councillor, Monde Nqulwana, re-opened negotiations with the community a few months ago.

Statement issued by the Communication Department, City of Cape Town, December 19 2011

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