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The DA in eThekwini urges the eThekwini Municipality to fast-track its negotiations with Eskom over the load shedding concession that the city had and come clean on the status of implementing loadshedding to avoid conflicting messages.

Businesses and communities have started to panic over the uncertainty and reports of loadshedding being fully implemented. It is imperative to allow residents the ability to properly plan ahead of time and not cause unnecessary panic.

In April 2022, the city's electrical system lost fifty percent of its electrical load due to flooding. Extensive repairs are still being performed, and there is no clear indication of when the 700MW to 800MW lost will be entirely recovered.

The city has informed Eskom that the integrity of the electrical infrastructure remains gravely compromised and that if loadshedding is fully implemented, the municipal system may collapse.

As a result of infrastructure failures, the duration and frequency of power outages have increased for residents around the city. Flood-related damage to water infrastructure has also resulted in numerous instances of water rationing.

As the metro continues to run in an emergency capacity, the DA will put pressure on the municipality to act in the interest of the people of eThekwini.

Issued by Councillor Thabani Mthethwa - DA eThekwini Caucus Leader