Pressure from the Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) compelled the Emfuleni Local Municipality (Evaton, Sebokeng, Vaal Oewer, Vanderbijlpark, Vereeniging) to send an assessor to the NE3 substation in Vanderbijlpark, which was destroyed in a fire last Friday.
This specific substation supplies power to the NE3 industrial area where large manufacturing companies are located as well as an informal settlement.
This is the second time in two years that the substation is destroyed by a fire. The previous time, the area did not have power for several days.
The Freedom Front Plus insists that the capacity of the substation be increased so that it can supply enough power to meet demand in the area. The current demand for power far exceeds the substation’s capacity, resulting in overloading.
Emfuleni also needs to take stringent action against people with illegal power connections that only add to the substation’s load.
The Freedom Front Plus urged the Municipality to do the necessary repairs as soon as possible seeing as the affected factories cannot operate without power. These factories employ hundreds of people and make up a significant part of Emfuleni’s economy.
Emfuleni’s unemployment rate currently stands at 56% and continues to rise amid dire economic circumstances.
Many factories have already relocated to nearby towns as a result of Emfuleni’s poor infrastructure – which is the last thing Emfuleni needs.
