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ANC has no answers to NMB’s infrastructure crisis

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Dear MyPE

Nelson Mandela Bay is at the mercy of ongoing electricity blackouts and water leaks that leave our people frustrated and hopeless.

In light of the ongoing infrastructure crisis in NMB and as a public representative in the provincial legislature, a month ago I wrote to Infrastructure and Engineering MAYCO member, ANC Cllr Andile Mfunda, demanding the following:

Immediate investigation into the reasoning behind an avoidable blackout (Uitenhage/Despatch electricity blackout – 12 January 2016).
Review of infrastructure maintenance budget to allow for proper servicing of infrastructure.

The DA, where it governs, maintains an excellent service delivery record. In the City of Cape Town, 100% of households have access to clean drinking water and 96% of households have access to electricity.

This is the sort of service delivery that Nelson Mandela Bay needs, which the DA will ensure when elected to govern at this year’s local government election.

By providing no answers, Cllr Mfunda has admitted that he is unaware of the reasoning behind these blackouts and has no plan or strategy to halt the collapse of our Metro’s infrastructure, the maintenance backlog of which stands at over R4 billion. This is a disgrace from someone who professes to care for the needs of our people.

We have seen both the President and Water and Sanitation Minister Mokonyane promise a “war on leaks” and we have heard Cllr Mfunda promise to solve the electricity losses crisis, but as with all ANC promises, these have been unkept.

The time for change has come. The DA can win Nelson Mandela Bay at this year’s municipal election, ushering in a government focused on service delivery excellence, corruption-fighting and job creation.

Regards

Athol Trollip

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Port Elizabethan

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