Bethal residents have had it with GMM
BETHAL – The electricity woes continue in the towns of Bethal and eMzinoni and residents have made it clear that they have had enough of the powerless days and nights. A concerned resident said on the Bethal & eMzinoni Community for Services Association (BECS) Facebook page that it took everything in her emotional power to …
BETHAL – The electricity woes continue in the towns of Bethal and eMzinoni and residents have made it clear that they have had enough of the powerless days and nights.
A concerned resident said on the Bethal & eMzinoni Community for Services Association (BECS) Facebook page that it took everything in her emotional power to pay her GMM consumer account last month. She vowed to not be a “fool” again to pay.
“If we are going to have four hours of electricity a day and still get an account that is in fact more and not even less than what I had paid when we had the usual 24 hours of electricity, then I might as well go and switch off my electricity at the municipality myself and use that money for other alternatives.
“We are being fed lie upon lie and we keep on swallowing this false hope like a bitter pill that just pushes up again to cause heartburn a few hours later,” she said.
The resident asked that although a long term strategy of going the legal route has been established, what is the short term solution?
“We need a solution that does not entail burning tyres and hurting the employees who don’t get the fat cat salaries anyway.
“Nobody gives a damn! We can burn the whole Bethal down and still no one will notice, not even parliament.”
Also read: Bethal and eMzinoni residents take legal action against Govan Mbeki Municipality
Mr Ziyaad Dangor, spokesperson for the Bethal & eMzinoni Community for Services (BECS) said it is time that the management of GMM stands up and take responsibility for their actions.
“Stand up and man up to your total disregard for the people you serve,” said Mr Dangor.
He said the municipality blaming the lack of service delivery and the lack of infrastructure upgrade on “Apartheid” is a clear indication of playing the blame game.
“The municipality has taken no responsibility for this crisis in which we find ourselves. It is Eskom, illegal connections, lack of NMD, and the list goes on… but the municipality is not at fault.
“We beg you to stop oppressing the people of eMzinoni and Bethal and to communicate with the citizens. Take responsibility for your actions. Stop blaming others for your actions.”
The Bethal & eMzinoni Community for Services Association has been making progress in the way forward with legal action against GMM.
Weekly consultations have been taking place with lawyers as to the way forward, however once the matter goes to court, financial funding is going to be needed.
A bank account has been opened into which the community can contribute an affordable amount towards the legal cost.
Details are as follows:
Bank: First National Bank,
Branch code: 210554,
Type: Current/Cheque Account,
Account Number: 62856257277,
Account Name: Bethal and eMzinoni Community for Services Association,
Ref: Date of birth and surname (eg. 01 12 87 Peterson).
