ANC Caucus appeals to Eskom to restore electricity in Soweto
ANC Joburg Caucus picket outside Eskom headquarters.
The ANC Caucus in Joburg handed over a memorandum of demands to Eskom as part of our relentless fight to ensure that the power utility fulfils its mandate of providing the City’s residents with electricity.
According to a media statement by ANC Joburg Caucus, resident in areas such as Ivory Park, Soweto, Orange Farm and Diepsloot is constantly plunged into darkness for an unjustifiable period with no explanation or assistance from Eskom.
The ANC Caucus has tried to engage with the power utility for well over five years in an attempt to find a practical and lasting solution to this power supply challenge.
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“It should be noted that as the Caucus, we support wholly the call for residents to pay for services, but we implore Eskom to not resort to collective punishment in their pursuit to get residents to honour their civic duty.
“This blanket approach means that those who pay for services and those who cannot afford to pay (indigents) are unfairly punished.
“We believe there are a number of methods Eskom can use that would lead to a lasting solution to the electricity challenges in our communities.
“These include allowing communities to enter into payment arrangements with the utility as well as the implementation of credit control measures once this existing problem of outages is resolved.
Not only is this electricity crisis an irritant to residents it also places our Ward Councillors and their families in harm’s way.
“In their frustration, which is understandable albeit often misdirected, residents expect and demand their Ward Councillors to provide answers – which they cannot do, as they are also residents who are reliant on Eskom’s intervention.
“On numerous occasions, our Councillors have had to bear the brunt for Eskom’s incompetence – having their houses damaged and their safety threatened for something they have no control over. O
“Our Ward Councillors have frequented Eskom offices to find a solution to this matter with no real assistance from the utility.
Our Councillors cannot continue to act as a buffer between residents and Eskom at the expense of their safety and that of their families while Eskom does nothing to lighten their load.
We appeal to Eskom to handle this matter with the urgency it deserves and ensure that they give us a lasting solution.
We will await the entity’s response on the matter and vow that we will not back down until the matter has been resolved.
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