When I decided to put my name forward to run for mayor of Ekurhuleni, it was not a decision that I had taken lightly. Being a resident of Ekurhuleni, I intimately understand the service delivery issues that our residents face on a daily basis.
The power cuts that our residents face can go on for days, sometimes even weeks and while we know that our country has an electricity problem due to a lack of maintaining infrastructure and not building new power stations, there are other things that we can do at a local government level to improve this situation for our residents.
Earlier this year, some residents of Ekurhuleni were left without water for a few days because of a Rand Water pumping station that was not operating at full capacity because of an explosion. While it is understandable that Rand Water would not have been able to supply enough water to all the residents of Gauteng, in Ekurhuleni this could have been avoided.
How, you ask?
The community of Kempton Park put pressure on the City of Ekurhuleni through a petition to build a reservoir in the area. This petition was successful and funds were made available by the city for this reservoir to be built. However, when the Covid-19 pandemic hit last year a virement was applied for and the funds for the reservoir were instead used to purchase personal protective equipment (PPE).
Had this not happened and the construction of the reservoir was completed, it would have been able to provide the residents of our city with water for at least 10 days. On a regular basis Ekurhuleni is left without electricity with no idea when the power will be back.
This may seem like a minor inconvenience but the reality of it is that this not only affects daily activities and productivity but also affects our ageing infrastructure. Our substations were not meant to be switched on and off and ultimately this affects the lifespan of our infrastructure.
Eskom has now stepped in and taken over the load-shedding schedule because the city is unable to even manage this. But all of these basic service delivery issues can be fixed and the DA has a plan in place to get things done, so that our people can enjoy the service delivery they deserve. To ensure that all our residents have access to water as enshrined in the constitution, we will regularly refurbish and replace water infrastructure.
Our reaction time to fixing burst pipes will be reduced to under an hour. In addition to this, a skills audit will be done in the water department and we will explore building rainwater catchment dams in the metro.
To solve the electricity problem in Ekurhuleni, we need to ensure that funded positions are filled and relationships with organisations such as the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers and electrical engineering companies so that we can form public-private partnerships.
Proper stock control and management in electricity stores will be implemented to ensure that components are always available when needed. Furthermore, we will also explore decreasing load-shedding and the city’s reliance on traditional sources of power and seek alternative energy from independent power producers. The time is now for change in Ekurhuleni.
Our residents deserve a well-run government that is capable of delivering basic services, improves access to opportunities and provides a healthy and safe environment.
• Nt’skhe is an MPL and DA's mayoral candidate for Ekurhuleni
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