Thousands of Ekurhuleni residents petition parliament over electricity crisis
14 September 2023
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Ekurhuleni has petitioned parliament to give urgent attention to the electricity crisis. This follows the prolonged service delivery issues that residents are challenged with daily, despite reaching out the Executive Mayor, and City Manager’s office.
Thousands of residents have made their frustration known, and used their democratic right of giving parliament a mandate to address the issues that they face. This crisis is quickly turning into a disaster, as residents go up to 50 days without electricity, yet the Executive Mayor refuses to head their calls for help.
We are baffled by the utter disregard that these issues have been treated with, and we have now been necessitated to urge parliamentary, and national government intervention. Without urgent action, we will face a humanitarian crisis.
There has been infinite opportunity for local government to intervene, councillors and Residents’ Associations alike have brought these issues to the attention of the Executive Mayor, and City manager. They have ignored these warnings and have gone ahead without regard for the citizens they are accountable to.
Even after arranging for representatives from the mayor’s office to visit the site of cable thefts and substations facing significant issues, nothing has been done. This proves, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the lacklustre attitude towards service delivery in the metro is not something that can be described as an accident. It is however clear, that they do not care, nor will they ever.
We urge this issue to be escalated on a parliamentary level, and that national government intervenes as a matter of urgency. The City of Ekurhuleni needs to be held account for their failings, and moreover the crisis that they are creating.
The DA will not rest until the Executive Mayor, members of the Executive, and the City Manager are held to account. The residents of Ekurhuleni have now spoken.
Issued by Michele Clarke, Political Head, Germiston Constituency, 14 September 2023
