During Thursday’s council meeting, the Ekurhuleni Metro’s Mayoral Committee Member for Energy, Mzayifani Ngwenya, was unable to provide reasons for why the Wadeville industrial area in Germiston is experiencing frequent power outages.
Businesses regularly contact the Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) to report power outages. One business has indicated that if the outages persist, it will have no choice but to reduce its workforce by 300 employees.
Ngwenya merely offered excuses in reply to the Freedom Front Plus’s questions.
In response to a question regarding measures to curb the wave of power outages, he claimed that a cable had been replaced and repair work on some substations had already been done.
There is no concrete plan, timeline or strategy to address the broader issue, though. This proves that the Metro is simply stumbling from one crisis to the next without any hope of improvement.
Ngwenya admitted that the Metro expects Wadeville businesses to rely on a WhatsApp group for information. For businesses losing millions due to outages every day, this is not a communication plan – it is an insult.
He also refused to credit businesses’ electricity accounts for the periods they do not have power.
To make matters worse, Ngwenya acknowledged that there has been no formal engagement or negotiations with Wadeville businesses with the aim of finding solutions.
Clearly, the Metro is utterly unable to resolve Wadeville’s power crisis.
This negligence is driving industries out of Ekurhuleni and destroying the local economy.
The Freedom Front Plus will keep fighting on behalf of Wadeville’s businesses and workers, who deserve reliable electricity and accountable leadership.
