Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Werner Pretorius MPL and Sesotho soundbite by Cllr Kabelo Moreeng. See attached pictures here, here, here and here.
Residents and businesses across Mangaung have been affected by Centlec’s poor electricity infrastructure, slow response times, and poor communication, leaving them with regular power outages, recurring electrical faults, and unresolved complaints.
Complaints extend beyond failing infrastructure and slow response times to a lack of clear communication and information when faults occur. Residents deserve clear and transparent communication when outages occur. Complaints about Centlec’s call centre, poor feedback, and faults reportedly being closed without resolution have added to residents’ frustration. These are not simply inconveniences; they disrupt daily routines, affect businesses, and leave residents uncertain about when their electricity will return.
This is yet another example of ANC chaos in Mangaung, where years of mismanagement and failing service delivery have left residents and businesses paying the price for an electricity system they cannot rely on.
The challenges facing Mangaung’s electricity network are inseparable from how electricity revenue is managed. Concerns have been raised about weak revenue collection, the failure to ring-fence electricity income, and Centlec’s ongoing inability to meet its Eskom payment obligations, especially given the more than R282 million in electricity losses in 2024/25 due to theft, tampering, and faulty meters.
Failing electricity infrastructure risks our communities’ lives and livelihoods. An unreliable power network undermines economic growth, job creation, and social development.
To get electricity working in Mangaung, the DA will, amongst others:
- Ringfencing revenue from electricity sales for infrastructure upgrading to address urgent repairs as well as ensure long-term resilience;
- Empowering Centlec to purchase electricity directly from private energy companies and enable ‘prosumers’ to sell their surplus power back into the grid.
- Ensuring clear and transparent communication when outages occur, ensuring trust is restored between communities and Centlec;
- Prevent electrical infrastructure theft and vandalism through early-warning technology, CCTV cameras, and by capacitating Centlec’s anti-theft and Mangaung Law Enforcement units, working with residents and private security companies.
- Conducting a comprehensive risk assessment of primary substations and transformers, ensuring critical infrastructure is prioritised for maintenance or replacement to prevent disasters;
- Ensuring a structured maintenance and risk management system is executed;
- Providing quarterly infrastructure performance reports to Council.
- Auditing protection, control and support systems to identify weaknesses that could contribute to network failures.
- Establishing ongoing compliance monitoring aligned with national requirements.
The DA will continue our fight in Mangaung and in Parliament to ensure sound electricity infrastructure and reasonable, fair electricity prices, delivering reliable power that keeps the lights on, enables business to grow, and supports job creation in Mangaung.