Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Sesotho soundbites by Cllr Stone Makhema and Afrikaans soundbites by Cllr Jacques Barnard.
The Democratic Alliance in Metsimaholo will write to both the MECs of CoGTA and Infrastructure to intervene in the poor provision of electricity in the municipality. This comes after persistent electricity cuts, with inadequate supply, provision, and maintenance being the order of the day.
Section 152 (1)(b) of the South African Constitution, read together with 153 (a), states that it is the objective of the municipality to ensure the provision of services to communities in a sustainable manner and give priority to the basic needs of the community. Section 73 of the Municipal Systems Act also states that the municipality must ensure that all members of the local municipality have access to at least the minimum basic services.
For years now, since the DA minority government budgeted R12 million for the upgrading of substations in 2023, there has never been any movement since that government was removed in the same year. What is only something to write about is the perimeter fence that we also raised at a mini-substation in Gortin, namely Iraq.
It is irresponsible and neglectful for the municipality not to have completed the procurement of materials for the Leitrim substation for more than a year now, exposing residents to increasingly frequent electricity cuts that are interfering with the everyday lives of our people.
The DA has previously engaged with residents through a petition to show the municipality the seriousness of the matter. It is disappointing to report that, with more than 1,000 signatures and more than 6 months having passed, the petitions committee has not yet met to discuss the matter.
Regarding the notice questions, when we followed up on the feedback, the acting electrical manager responded to the wrong person and quoted the wrong initiator.
The continuous cable theft and the prolonged electricity cuts due to overloading are the result of poor planning and incompetence by municipal officials.
The prolonged suspension of the electrical manager also contributed to the situation, as the acting manager, who had until his term ended, seemed clueless and never came up with a tangible solution to resolve the matter.
This failure by the municipality to uphold its constitutional mandate needs to be addressed. Although the municipality is very active in providing information and updates on the causes and status of these emergencies, we want them to be on high alert and proactive.
We will continue to stand by the people in protecting their constitutional rights and ensuring accountability for poor performance.