Electricity is also one of the biggest revenue generators in the municipal budget and part of the core basket of services to citizens of the city. The recent Electricity woes has just as much an effect on the city as it has on residents. Many people direct anger and frustration with electricity supply to the Municipality, yet Ekurhuleni has no power generating capacity and is nothing more that a distributor of electricity through its network.
Maintenance of the network is a core responsibility of Ekurhuleni. In this regard the City has spent over 60 million rand in the last financial year to do urgent upgrades to the electricity network in Alberton. This was due to the unexpected damage caused by lightning in the beginning of last year. This brought significant relief to residents of Alberton and for the remainder of 2013 electricity distribution was stable.
Ekurhuleni however remains on high alert after the city was requested to implement load shedding as and when requested by Eskom. Several areas in Alberton have experienced power supply interruptions over the past few weeks because of load shedding. This is a big inconvenience and disruption to residents, but it is also a financial burden on the municipal budget.
Electricity woes affect all of us and consumers both big and small can make a difference to minimise the effects of load shedding. Consumers are urged to switch off all non-essential appliances to reduce the impact of rotational power cuts. This includes switching off geysers, pool pumps, and all non-essential appliances throughout the day.
Eskom is committed to stop power cuts if residents make the necessary savings. The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality will unfortunately have to continue to implement load shedding as and when requested by Eskom. The load shedding schedules are available on www.ekurhuleni.gov.za and are currently applicable.
Areas that are directly supplied by Eskom should visit www.eskom.co.za for more information. Residents are requested to please make sure that power interruptions are not because of load shedding, before they report electricity problems to Ekurhuleni. Please contact any councillor for more information or assistance.
What they dont seem to tell you is that your electricity bill is about to double because of these costs. Refer to leaflet in latest bills received from EMPD. More money for the corrupted to steal.