– Power outages in Postmasburg are increasing in severity and frequency.
– Tsantsabane Municipality must table an urgent preventative maintenance plan.
– Residents must be protected from disruptive power outages.
The Democratic Alliance has requested the Municipal Manager of Tsantsabane Municipality, Gaonyadiwe Mathobela, to urgently table a comprehensive preventative maintenance plan before council to stabilise electricity supply in Postmasburg, which is currently experiencing increasingly severe and disruptive power outages.
Last week, large parts of the town were left without electricity for up to six days following a cable fault, plunging households and businesses into crisis.
Residents suffered serious financial losses, with food spoiling in fridges and deep freezers, learners’ education disrupted due to the inability to study, and families left without heating during the cold. Local businesses also incurred significant losses due to prolonged downtime.
This is not an isolated incident. About four weeks ago, the town experienced a similar prolonged outage, that required a generator to be brought in. This is alongside recurring shorter interruptions that continue to interrupt daily life, undermine economic activity and impact on basic service delivery.
While my engagement with the Municipal Manager last week confirmed that Tsantsabane’s electricity challenges stem largely from years of inadequate infrastructure maintenance and delayed upgrades, this cannot become an excuse for ongoing failure or inaction.
The Municipal Manager must present a clear, time-bound preventative maintenance plan, including scheduled servicing, infrastructure upgrades, and risk mitigation measures to prevent further widespread outages.
In addition, the municipality must ensure the proper and efficient spending of all allocated infrastructure funds, while urgently engaging Provincial Treasury and COGHSTA to secure additional financial and technical support where necessary to stabilise the electricity network.
The DA will continue to fight for a reliable and functional electricity supply for all residents of Tsantsabane.