Bryanston Ward 103 Councillor Lynda Shackleford is committed to making more changes to meet her community’s needs.
According to Shackleford, six transformers had to be replaced within five months by either City Power or Eskom, due to vandalism or old infrastructure. This has caused outages ranging from three to 12 days.
These numerous power outages made it very difficult for students to study for exams, and residents’ safety was at risk as house alarm systems stopped working as batteries did not last, and food spoiled adding to the financial worries.
“Stage 5 and 6 Block 4 has two 4 hour sessions, with a 90-minute break in between, during the night, and this, unfortunately, gives time for the infrastructure to be vandalised. I would appreciate it if residents can assist with helping to protect the transformers,” said Shackleford.
According to Shackleford, the return of power after load-shedding has become an additional form of anxiety for residents. On Community Groups Residents start to panic 15 min before the actual time power is to come back on, even though both entities have asked for 30 minutes on each side of load-shedding – the panic is real, and it is a concern.
Shackleford added that the water woes are ongoing in the ward due to the old, compromised asbestos pipes. It is a known fact that in winter water issues, become more frequent, leaks and pipe bursts. A meeting was held last week with councillors and the relevant depot managers to work on solutions. This is a work in progress.
“For my Councillor IDP 2023/24 submission, I have requested that Ballyclare Drive, Hobart Road, Redhill Road, Denys Road, Tessa Road, Boyle and Wheelan Close (Stighling Road area) Marico Avenue, Tugela Road, and Westbourne Road all be looked at for urgent pipe replacement projects due to the issues. However, the IDP is a ‘wish list’ and it will all depend on what is allocated to JHB Water for Infrastructure upgrades,” added Shackleford.
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