Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Cllr Eleanor Quinta and Sesotho soundbite by Cllr Ana Motaung.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) will push for the urgent implementation of a transparent workshop on the Distribution Agency Agreement (DAA) to ensure that residents of Maluti-a-Phofung (MAP) are no longer left in the dark, literally and figuratively, during this summer rain season.
The DA believes that open communication and accountability between the municipality, Eskom, and the public are essential to prevent yet another electricity crisis.
The summer rain season is upon us, and with it comes yet another round of electricity outages in Maluti-a-Phofung.
Generally speaking, summer rainfall notoriously causes damage to infrastructure; in MAP, the situation is far worse, as infrastructure is old and heavily overloaded. No protection gear is in place. The slightest disturbance in weather patterns causes numerous outages.
With the electrical department seriously under-equipped and overworked, this further causes delays in restoring power. This has recently been exacerbated by a newly signed Distribution Agency Agreement, which has resulted in the municipality losing a significant portion of its income.
The once-welcomed DAA has turned into a nightmare instead of being the saving grace the city needed. With both the municipality’s executive and Eskom failing to take sufficient measures to ensure its success, both parties are to blame for causing further pain and suffering to residents.
The DAA states that the MAP municipality remains in charge of its network and that Eskom will handle meter changeovers and revenue collection. With this in mind, the dreams of Eskom taking over and all problems disappearing have turned into a literal nightmare.
We have called for and continue to call for a workshop where the DAA can be discussed and explained to all involved stakeholders, including the public, who have been left in the dark, both literally and figuratively.
No one knows what is happening, and those who do have some information are reluctant to divulge their knowledge. The FS Legislature Petitions Committee is scheduled to meet with the MAP Executive, as well as Eskom, to discuss the future of the DAA.
The shroud of secrecy surrounding the implementation of the DAA needs to be lifted, as the public deserves to know why they are often left in the dark with no answers.
We will continue to press for the DAA’s proper implementation, as things cannot continue on their current trajectory.