R36m to be spent on electrifying 3 200 homes

Trainees to help attend to power cuts

THE government together with the municipality has pumped more than R36-million into installing electricity in shacks and RDP houses in Nelson Mandela Bay this year.

About 3 200 homes will have been connected to the grid between April this year and March next year.

In a report to the infrastructure, engineering and energy portfolio committee, which met yesterday, energy boss Silby Matthew revealed that the Department of Energy allocated R31.14-million to the metro for new electricity installations.

The metro forked out an addi- DUE to a dire shortage of electricians able to quickly respond to power cuts, the electricity department wants to hire seven trainees – who recently qualified – into some of the vacant posts in the department.

The city also wants to recruit an additional seven trainees, who

tional R5-million, which will be spent in the current 2015-16 financial year.

The news comes as the municipality battles to contain a major problem of illegal electricity connections in informal settlements. would write their trade test within the next three months, should they qualify.

Hiring the first seven will cost the municipality R885 780 a year, according to a report presented to the infrastructure, engineering and energy committee yesterday. – Rochelle de Kock

This has overloaded power transformers in areas such as Walmer and Vastrap, causing blackouts for days or weeks at a time.

According to Matthew’s report, 2 528 shacks will be installed with electricity and the rest of the money will be spent to connect power to 600 RDP houses. The areas to be electrified are: ý Motherwell NU30 – 100 shacks; ý Polar Park (Uitenhage) – 111 shacks;

ý Daleview Extension (Despatch) – 97 shacks; ý Missionvale – 100 shacks; ý Joe Slovo West – 1 513 shacks; ýM K Silvertown – 200 shacks; ý Khayamnandi Extension (Despatch) – 407 shacks; and

ý Chatty Extension – 600 RDP houses.

Matthew said: “As a result of two weeks of rain and one week of striking at the electricity and energy directorate during the month of July, slow progress is reflected in the total number of connections made ... to date.”