WATCH: MP speaks about electricity woes
The largest problem according to Clarke is the extremely large amount of illegal connections in the area.
On July 14 Ward 38 hosted a virtual public meeting to discuss the problems with the electricity infrastructure of Ekurhuleni.
The meeting hosted MP Michele Clark head of the DA’s Take Back Your Power campaign to discuss the problems she identified as part of her campaign. During her address to the residents, she highlighted some of the issues faced by the City of Ekurhuleni when it comes to electricity infrastructure.
Illegal connections and mismanagement
The largest problem according to Clarke is the extremely large amount of illegal connections in the area. According to her this problem is a major one that the city does not have the staff power to combat. She elaborated by saying that there is even a level of fear among employees regarding going into these areas to cut off connection.
A further problem is the mismanagement of contracts and employees within the department of electricity. Clarke explained that according to regulations 38 per cent of the budget of the department should be going towards paying employee salaries and that the City currently only spends 10 per cent of the department’s budget on employees.
This has further consequences of leading to pure maintenance and a lack of upgrading of the power grid.
Take back your powerÂ
Another problem identified was that during periods where an unplanned outage occurs the correct information does not reach residents.
This occurs both due to call centre personnel not having the correct information and the correct information not reaching local councillors.
Ward councillor Malcolm Maifala elaborated on the current issues experienced regarding the call centre indicating that possible issues stem from the centralisation of the call centre. A power outage in the area of the call centre or a case of Covid-19 that causes the centre to go down leads to no information being shared.
As part of their Take Back Your Power campaign, which is aimed to draw attention to the electricity problems experienced by Ekurhuleni and the possible solutions to the problem, they are relying on a petition signed by residents.
Clark explained the value of the petition as a way for the residents to be heard saying that it is one of the most effective means for residents to voice their opinions.
WATCH: Let’s Talk Ekurhuleni Power Outages
