GMM opens refurbished ring-sub in eMbalenhle
Mayor says repairing the electricity infrastructure means that community should pay for their electricity.
eMBALENHLE – The executive mayor of Govan Mbeki Municipality, Nhlakanipho Zuma, and the Gert Sibande District mayor, Walter Mngomezulu, officially opened the newly refurbished and upgraded ring-sub 3 in eMbalenhle on Friday, September 23.
Zuma said the ring-sub with modern technology, will improve the power stability in the area. He said repairing the electricity infrastructure means that the community should pay for their electricity and not steal it.
“This will enable the municipality to pay Eskom, which will help the power utility to end load-shedding.
“The municipality will begin with a programme to install electricity meters throughout eMbalenhle, because we know the majority of eMbalenhle’s residents do not buy electricity, or they buy if they buy it from the ghost vendors.
“The municipality also has an indigent policy that can help those who cannot afford electricity,” said Zuma.
He said those registered as indigents receive free subsidised water and electricity within a limit. The mayor said once those who were identified as indigents exceed subsidised limits, they also have to buy.
“I appeal to the community to come forward and report faulty electricity meters before we come to knock on their doors.
“Our programme will begin with visiting businesses and rental rooms,” said Zuma.
He said the municipality began to repair electricity issues in Bethal and eMzinoni.
Zuma explained that although these towns will still experience power outages, the municipality is fighting to stabilise the electricity supply as they did in eMbalenhle.
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“We are building a new substation and are in the process with other interventions in Bethal and eMzinoni’s electricity supply,” said Zuma.
The district mayor, Mngomezulu, said the district is there to witness if what the municipality has reported in the district meetings is true.
Zuma and Mngomezulu also unveiled eight bakkies for service delivery purposes and visited Hlalefo Mapeshoane (now 15), a wheelchair-bound teen from Ext 26, eMbalenhle.
Hlalefo was walking home from school in October 2018 when he accidentally touched a hanging wire thrown over the power lines and was electrocuted.
