CONCERN OVER POWER CUTS

WHILE the 2008 load-shedding programme had ceased, many households and businesses continued to experience unplanned power cuts because of poor electricity infrastructure.

This was a concern raised by the deputy director-general at the Department of Energy, Jacob Mbele, yesterday.

He was speaking during the second day of the electricity conference hosted by the Association of Municipal Electricity Utilities of Southern Africa at the CSIR.

Mbele, who spoke on behalf of Minister of Energy Jeff Radebe (pictured), said challenges faced by the electricity distribution sector required urgent attention.

“A study conducted by the Department of Energy in 2014 indicated a backlog in municipal electricity infrastructure maintenance, estimated at around R35 billion. This figure doubles if we include the backlog in areas serviced by Eskom,” he told delegates.

Mbele spoke about incidences of vandalism, calling on law enforcement agencies to mete out harsher sentences to punish the perpetrators.

The shortage of women in the energy sector also came under the spotlight at the conference.

Punki Majola, a senior engineer at Ekurhuleni Municipality, expressed disappointment that there was little progress made in terms of advancing opportunities for women entering the industry. She said the situation needed to change to accommodate more women in decision-making positions.

“The training of women to compete with their male counterparts is a challenge. Action needs to be taken to ensure that women occupy positions of decision-making,” she said.