City asks DBSA to help fund infrastructure

Mayor Mzimkhulu Thebolla says the municipality is applying to both national treasury and the DBSA for the funding needed to address ageing infrastructure at the centre of ongoing blackouts affecting the city.

Rolling blackouts have become common in the capital and has led to growing outcries from the public and business sector.

Thebolla said the areas affected by the current equipment failures are: CBD (lower and upper), Northern areas, Hilton, Sweetwaters, Blackridge, Westgate, Foxhill, Mpumelelo, Claridge, Woodlands, Sobantu, Tamboville, Thembalihle, Scottville, Townbush, Chase Valley and all surrounding areas.

"The Technical team is working around the clock to mitigate the challenges that we are currently facing, which have left some areas without electricity for an extended period of time. The case in point is the failure of the transformer and high voltage cables at the Retief Substation, which has forced the municipality to implement load reduction to the affected areas as an interim measure to protect against the total collapse of infrastructure while the repairs are in progress," said the Mayor in a statement.

Thebolla, who called on communities to refrain from illegal connections, theft and vandalism. He further stressed that the municipality has made submissions to the National Treasury and Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) to source funds to upgrade the infrastructure. He said the municipality is trying to source funding to upgrade its infrastructure through a number of revenue initiatives, grant applications as well as partnering with the private sector.

“We are appealing to residents to pay for services considering that the loss of revenue contributes to the strain of sustaining infrastructure and service delivery, since maintenance alone costs millions of rands. Our communities must refrain from illegal connections, cable theft and vandalism. If perpetrators are identified, they must be reported to law enforcement agencies as it constitutes crime," he said.