MyPE

Community Business Directory, Event Listings, News and Views from Gqeberha, Nelson Mandela Bay

Uitenhage blackouts crippling industry and destroying jobs

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Dear MyPE

With the entire Uitenhage and Despatch area once again without power today, industry is at a standstill and jobs are being lost, because the NMB government does not care enough to build and maintain sustainable infrastructure.

The DA is committed to combating the rampant unemployment crisis in NMB and condemns this electricity infrastructure crisis that continues to paralyse our industry.

Without an adequate maintenance infrastructure budget, municipal electrical equipment cannot be serviced regularly, which leads to persistent and avoidable power outages under this ANC government.

The DA has consistently called for the formation of sub-councils to improve service delivery and technician response time to a forgotten part of the Metro, but nothing is being done by a local government that does not care.

The Metro’s industrial sector, most of which exists in Uitenhage, is the economic industrial hub of Nelson Mandela Bay and as such needs to be protected from shutdown.

This ANC administration must account for its short-sighted and negligent failures in electricity infrastructure maintenance and supply.

I have written to the ANC MAYCO Member for infrastructure and engineering, Andile Mfunda, asking for an immediate intervention plan to prevent future blackouts. The DA will also present alternative budget solutions to remedy the electricity crisis during the municipal budget process.

The DA will urgently table a motion in council to have a sub-council established so that the people and industry of Uitenhage and Despatch can receive equal and fair service delivery.

Change is coming to NMB, and with it a new era of freedom, fairness and opportunity that delivers better services and reliable electricity infrastructure for all people living in this municipality.

Regards

Athol Trollip

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Port Elizabethan

This author is a 'catch-all' for occasional articles and letters written to MyPE. The Author of each article can be found in the signature at the bottom of each individual article.