Dying diggers of Namaqualand need saving
| by Fawzia Rhoda, MPL – DA Constituency Head of Bo-Karoo |
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| Date: 21 February 2020 |
| Release: Immediate |
| The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Northern Cape calls on the Northern Cape Department of Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements & Traditional Affairs to intervene at the Emthanjeni Local Municipality and to prevent the further mismanagement of municipal debt, which risks leaving the residents powerless.The municipal notice placed in today’s edition of a community paper shows that Eskom warned the municipality last week that arrears of R81 million threatens the supply of electricity to Britstown, De Aar, Hanover and surrounding areas. Should the municipality fail to settle the account in arrears or should there be no agreement on a payment plan before 3 March 2020, Eskom intends to disconnect electricity from 06:00 in the morning to 20:00 at night.Residents will be left powerless for longer than 14 hours every 24 hours, though. Schedules published on Eskom’s website shows time slots from 20:00 at night to 04:00 in the morning where rotational loadshedding from Stage 1 to Stage 6 will also disrupt electrical supply.This is, in effect, double loadshedding which will punish even those individuals who did no wrong. Bearing in mind that the majority of the area’s water supply relies on boreholes requiring consistency in power supply and considering the cost implications of generators, it is clear that a public health crisis could easily be one of the unintended consequences of the double loadshedding which could affect Emthanjeni.We applaud all individuals who, in the current economic climate, continues to ensure their municipal accounts are paid in full.We urge the municipality to show some common sense when it comes to the implementation of the credit control policy. Allow for small business owners and members of the farming community who carry the consequences of a catastrophic drought to come to sensible payment agreements. Target defaulting state departments and ensure that those who do their part in bringing the municipality to its knees also restores it to a firmer financial footing. |
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