Political parties in the City of Tshwane have joined the chorus of concern over the crippling power outages affecting various parts of the Metro.
Themba Fosi, the DA spokesperson on Utility Services, has criticised Mayor Nasiphi Moya for allegedly sidestepping electricity-related issues in the City.
He accused Moya of prioritising health inspections at supermarkets over addressing the pressing concerns of residents struggling with power outages.
He said: “The mayor has been notable in her avoidance of electricity related issues, preferring to do health inspections at Pick’n Pay supermarkets. Maybe it’s time for her to attend to the full range of her duties, and to support ward councillors desperately trying to relay information to communities.”
Fosi's remarks came in wake of the recent wave of power outages, which primarily impacted areas of Soshanguve, prompting residents to take to the streets in protest, blocking roads with burning tyres.
He attributed the frequent power outages in the municipality to the multiparty government’s failure to allocate sufficient budget for upgrading the Njala electricity infeed station, which suffered an explosion in February.
He said areas which have experienced prolonged outages over the past few weeks include Soshanguve, Garsfontein, Queenswood, Heuweloord, and Lynnwood.
According to him, the outages seemed to have worsened since the explosion at the Njala electricity infeed station in February.
To make matters worse, he said, the city's budget adjustment failed to allocate funds for reconnecting the city's lines to Nyala, a project estimated to cost R25 million.
Fosi expressed dismay that substantial funds were being allocated to water tankering and private security contracts for watchmen, rather than being redirected to tackle the pressing issue of power outages.
“Although some of these outages are unrelated, they seem to have become worse since the explosion at the Njala electricity infeed station in February,” he said.
He pointed out that following the repair of the power lines that collapsed on the N4 highway in 2023, the City was instructed to reconnect its lines to Nyala.
Mari Joubert, a Freedom Front councillor, voiced frustration over the recent spate of cable theft in Pretoria Moot neighbourhoods, which left numerous households without electricity for extended periods.
According to her, the areas most severely impacted by the recent cable theft were Rietfontein, Gezina, Capital Park, and Wonderboom South.
She noted a disturbing trend, where thieves have shifted their attention from underground cables to overhead power cables.
“They presumably throw a rope over the cable linking a pole and a house. Then the rope is fastened to a vehicle with which it is pulled down. The Tshwane Metro has only two mobile cranes servicing the Moot, so it takes longer to do repairs,” she said.
She highlighted the plight of many residents, who lack the financial means to invest in alternative energy solutions such as solar panels or generators.
She said they were often forced to throw away perishable foodstuffs after incidents of cable theft left them without electricity.
“Syndicates are busy destroying the Metro's power infrastructure and everyone has to work together to put a stop to it,” she said.
The Mayor's spokesperson, Zinhle Mahlati, had not yet responded to the accusations made against Moya at the time of publication, nor the allegations surrounding Njala station.