URGENT AUDIT NEEDED ON GAUTENG ELECTRICITY CUTS
The MEC for Local Government must immediately order an audit of the state of Gauteng's electricity network.
In the past year Gauteng cities have been paralysed by longer than ordinary power outages. The latest being Bronkhorstspruit in the Tshwane Metro that was left without electricity for four days due to a transformer failure. The back-up transformer was also out of action because it has not yet been repaired from a previous incident.
The power failures are costing the Gauteng economy hundreds of millions of Rand every year and the cost is escalating. The majority of these failures could have been avoided through proper preventative maintenance.
The electricity network has not been maintained up to standard by municipalities who skimp on maintenance in order to save costs. The Bronkhorstspruit incident is a case in point where proper lightning protection was not installed.
The DA calls on MEC Humphrey Mmemezi to initiate an immediate audit on the state of Gauteng's electricity network. Such an audit will identify critical maintenance needs which can be used to compile a prioritised maintenance plan for the Gauteng electricity network.
Local government and the Gauteng Provincial Government need to form a partnership to limit the economic impact of power failures on the province's economy. Small businesses who cannot afford back-up generators are hit worst. This sector of our economy is crucial in job creation and when they can't conduct business job creation suffers.
The Gauteng electricity network is a crucial element of the Province's economy and should therefore enjoy the immediate attention of the MEC, especially since municipalities in the province are not maintaining the network as they should.
Failure to address this problem will cause massive disruptions in the province's economy in future.
Statement issued by Fred Nel, DA Member Gauteng Provincial Legislature Spokesperson for Local Government Deputy Spokesperson for Roads and Transport, January 10 2012
Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter
