The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) is concerned about the ongoing power outage that has been affecting Oudtshoorn, Dysselsdorp and the surrounding rural areas for four consecutive days.
The power supply was interrupted on Saturday morning, 15 August, at 03:00 after damage to Eskom’s infrastructure.
Even though several notices were issued detailing times of when the power supply is expected to be restored, these target times have not been met.
After four days of no electricity, residents, households, farming operations, businesses and tourism establishments are under mounting pressure. The agricultural, business and tourism sectors are suffering severe revenue losses and disruptions. Additional challenges include storing household food supplies and meeting other essential needs.
It is unacceptable that the community is repeatedly provided with timeframes for when electricity supply will be restored, only to be disappointed when it does not happen. Business owners, farmers and tourism establishments cannot plan their operations according to continually changing timeframes.
The Freedom Front Plus recognises that extensive infrastructure damage takes time to repair. It is, however, unacceptable that Eskom repeatedly communicates unrealistic timeframes and then fails to inform the community – in good time and honestly – when it becomes evident that those target times will not be met.
The party insists that Eskom play open cards with Oudtshoorn residents by frequently providing accurate and realistic information.
The repairs should be top priority, with sufficient resources and personnel, until the area’s electricity supply is restored.
