Mayor launches electrification of suburb
ANC SUPPORTERS took the opportunity, at the launch of the electrification of Ivory Park, to campaign for Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa as they waited for Sol Plaatje executive mayor Mangaliso Matika to arrive at the event on Friday.
The ANC members carried a massive banner of Ramaphosa, which had been used for a September 10 cadres assembly address, while they chanted, sang and danced in praise of the ANC deputy president as well as Matika.
Community members and their children, who had absconded from school for the special occasion, meanwhile sat patiently under a tent that was erected next to Pastor Moses’ shanty church in Ivory Park.
The residents have in the past repeatedly complained that they fell victim to violent crime, rape and murder as the area was pitch dark at night and that they were too afraid to relieve themselves in the veld at night.
The community will, however, not immediately have access to electricity as Friday’s event was merely the sod turning ceremony.
The event, which was supposed to start at 10am, commenced over an hour after the scheduled time.
A heavy, wooden podium had to be carried into the overcrowded tent and threatened to topple the structure when it bumped into one of the poles.
The spokesperson for Sol Plaatje Municipality, Thoko Riet, said that the official project for the installation of electricity would begin in November and take about 12 months to complete.
In his address, Matika thanked the Ivory Park residents for their patience and co-operation leading up to Friday’s launch.
“Not so long ago there was little hope for the people of this community. Despite the challenges, we have found a reason to work together to achieve a common goal,” he said.
Matika stated that the project would see the electrification of 1 173 households.
“Electricity is an essential service that must be accessed by citizens in the city.”
Speaking on the legacy of Oliver Tambo, Matika did not hesitate to underline the “importance of the exercise of correct leadership at moments of revolutionary change”.
The project is being funded by the Department of Energy and the Sol Plaatje Municipality, who appointed Solethu Energy Pty Ltd as the contractors.
According to the electrical engineering technician, NB Zwane, Ivory Park consisted of a total of 1 175 sites that has been surveyed and pegged.
He stated that electrification would be implemented in batches of 375 households at a time.
“The project shall begin at the switch house and spread evenly down Raven Street. The design has been set to eliminate voltage drop, by supplying the network from the closest point of supply as possible. This eliminates an unstable power supply and saves the cost of having a lengthy 11 kilovolt cable,” said Zwane.