City to be split up into 2 load shedding blocks
ETHEKWINI will soon be split up into the residential plus commercial zone, and the industrial zone, during the new load shedding schedule to be implemented on Thursday.
The ethekwini head of electricity, Maxwell Mthembu, presented the new schedule to executive council members, which he said was aligned with the demands from Eskom to lift the partial exemption that ethekwini Municipality had enjoyed since the April floods.
Mthembu said areas previously exempt from load shedding, such as water reservoirs and pump stations, would be exempted from the new schedule.
The new load shedding schedules will be split up into two blocks:
• The residential and commercial zone, which will be load shed for two hours at a time.
• The industrial zone, which will be load shed for four hours at a time.
This was after DA caucus leader councillor Thabani Mthethwa wrote an urgent letter to the council, to convene an emergency executive council (Exco) meeting last week to discuss the new proposed load shedding schedule to be implemented on May 25.
Mthethwa said he requested the meeting so that ethekwini could shed light on the new load-shedding changes that residents would be subjected to.
Mthethwa said it was unacceptable that the DA had to call the meeting, which the Anc-led government of ethekwini had no intention of holding in the first place.
The issue of ethekwini being subjected to load shedding like the rest of the country was imperative, he said. “But we do not know whether the lights will come back on, after they have gone off,” Mthethwa added.
Various questions remained unanswered, one of them being how would the City mitigate electricity trip-outs, which cause extended outages after load shedding, he asked.
ethekwini failed to confirm contingency plans put in place for powering critical infrastructure, such as reservoirs and waste-water works, he said.
“It is once again evident that the City is not ready to deliver for the people, as ANC officials fail to give clear indications on how to manage the new load shedding schedule, and lessen the negative effects that will be felt throughout ethekwini.”
The ethekwini EFF leader, councillor Themba Mvubu, said the EFF was against the deliberate collapsing of Eskom by “corrupt and greedy” ruling party politicians, who were colluding with the capitalists who wanted to privatise the production of electricity.
“We have no choice but to agree to some load shedding of which ethekwini was exempted after the April floods.
“Then Eskom wrote to the City saying the grid is under severe strain so ethekwini also has to play its part. But we derive no pleasure in doing this because we know the negative impact it will have on the already struggling economy and the interruption of water supply,” Mvubu said.
ethekwini IFP leader Mdu Nkosi said the Exco members have a right to request meetings with the mayor and his executives if they have matters that they want to ventilate.
“We met on Thursday and discussed the new load shedding schedule. We all agreed that in future the city council must refrain from taking decisions, and issue communications to the public, without discussing the matter with the Exco first,” Nkosi stressed.
ethekwini Municipality head of communications Lindiwe Khuzwayo said, “The DA is part of the leadership of ethekwini. As such a meeting its leadership holds with the mayor is normal.”
A follow-up meeting would be held tomorrow, to discuss the matter further.
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THE DA is convinced that it is going to retain Ward 73 in the coming by-election and says the ANC is deceiving itself in its claim that more than 100 DA members have jumped ship and joined the ANC.
The ANC had issued a statement after its president, Cyril Ramaphosa, welcomed more than 100 former DA members of Ward 73 in Chatsworth, last Saturday.
The ANC also accused the DA of spreading divisive politics and was adamant it was going to win the by-election due to be held on Wednesday.
DA provincial chairperson Dean Macpherson asked, if Ward 73 had poor service delivery, the ANC took a former DA councillor and use him as its ward councillor nominee?
“We don’t know those people they were parading when they claimed President Cyril Ramaphosa was welcoming them last Saturday. Where is the membership of all those people they claimed were from the DA?
“In fact, they just took people from the streets of Chatsworth and paraded them for ‘having jumped ship’ from the DA to the ANC. The only person we are aware of is Ronnie Pillay, who was the DA councillor, all those other members they are boasting of are just make-belief,” Macpherson said.
The ANC said it saluted the community of Ward 73, which had rejected divisive politics in favour of working together under the banner of the ANC to ensure service delivery.
ANC KZN spokesperson Mafika Mndebele said shortly after ANC deputy secretary-general Nomvula Mokonyane interacted with the community of Ward 73 last Tuesday, they received reports from the residents that their concerns were being addressed.
“In particular, a team of engineers has already inspected the wastewater infrastructure,” Mndebele stated.
“This team, working with local community leaders, has been tasked with ensuring speed towards the repair of damaged infrastructure to prevent the overflowing of sewage,” he added.
In line with Ramaphosa having welcomed more than 100 former DA members, they commended the people of Chatsworth for pulling together behind a common goal of creating a safer and prosperous community.
He said they supported local community leaders and Pillay, in particular, for opening a new chapter for the entire community of Ward 73.
“On May 24, we have no doubt that the community will vote overwhelmingly for Ronnie Pillay.
“Let us come together and fight for a new Kwazulu-natal, characterised by service delivery and socio-economic development for all,” Mndebele added.
IFP ethekwini regional leader Mdu Nkosi said if one was in government, they must provide service across the board, and not only serve those who belong to their political party.
“As long as you are a citizen of ethekwini, you are entitled to proper service delivery, irrespective of the political party you support.
“The people of Ward 73 are also paying municipal rates, and they will not like to hear the ANC making such divisive statements.
“It is wrong of politicians to make such statements.”