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The lack of disaster management during the festive season following severe weather conditions in the Mangaung Metro Municipality (MMM) has left residents frustrated, with continued power outages for days, intermittent water interruptions due to purification delays and contractors not being paid for services rendered. The season for celebrations became a nightmare for residents whose family and friends came to visit. 

DA councillors received complaints of electricity incidents reported with Centlec and closed without electricians attending to the reported issue. Water purification was delayed because of high turbidity after heavy rainfall and a shut-down of the Hamilton Water reservoir after a payment dispute with the contractor. Some residents were forced to seek alternative accommodations for friends and family members or pay thousands for private electricians to reconnect the electricity supply.

At the last council meeting on 14 December, the DA raised these frustrations along with our disappointment with the Heads of Departments (HoDs) who did not attend a Section 80 Committee meeting for Public Safety that was scheduled for Friday, 8 December 2023 and had to be postponed. We were shocked that the available budget for Disaster Management in Mangaung was a dismal R 70 000, as stated in a report to the council after the thunderstorms on the 6 and 7 December 2023.

The report also stated that the following incidents were reported at the Disaster Management Centre; Most of the streets and roads were flooded due to blocked stormwater drainage systems leading to unsafe driving conditions and traffic congestion. Some houses were flooded, and backyards were waterlogged due to a lack of poor stormwater drainage infrastructure, lightning struck seven electrical power supply substations causing a loss of power supply to respective areas. Some of these concerns date back to 2022, but our pleas have clearly fallen on deaf ears.

The ANC-led municipality does not care for the safety of all residents, and preventative maintenance is not a priority for the management. The DA urges residents to register at the last registration weekend scheduled for 3 and 4 February to save Mangaung from a corrupt ANC disaster in the future.

Issued by by Dirk Kotze - DA Councillor Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality