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NMB households continue to be plagued by money wasted on spoiled food, and massive safety concerns amidst a tidal wave of crime due to failing temporary electricity connections that have left them in the dark for weeks on end.

These residents are fed up with the incompetence of the NMB administration and have already taken to the streets to voice their dissatisfaction with the lack of service delivery.

Instead of addressing the shocking inability of the Electricity and Energy Department to reinstate supply to these households, the political leadership of the current administration have opted to ignore the growing problem.

Earlier this week, the Electricity and Energy Standing Committee meeting was postponed to 26 October 2023. A stark reminder of the lack of decisive leadership to deal with the unfolding crisis.

These widespread electricity outages are a direct result of the failure of the municipality to convert hundreds of temporary electricity connections to permanent ones. The temporary repairs often result in exposed, live wires in open trenches that cause widespread outages once exposed to rain. This is not just a massive inconvenience to residents, these exposed wires also pose a massive risk, especially to children.

The DA has previously suggested that these outages be treated as an emergency so that emergency procurement can be made to address this crisis. Unfortunately, the new administration has opted not to follow this advice and has made little to no progress on finding permanent solutions to the crisis.

In addition, there is also virtually no communication from the administration on the crisis and affected members of the public must rely on ward councillors, often equally in the dark, to provide them with much-needed answers.

We will once again seek to address this unfolding crisis through urgent intervention by the City Manager.

Letter to City Manager Attached

The DA is in your corner, fighting for you. Together, we can get NMB working again.

Issued by Cllr Mxolisi Breakfast - DA Spokesperson for Human Settlements - NMBM