According to DA Clr Bruna Haipel, answers to questions posed by the DA paint a dismal picture of existing infrastructure and its maintenance.
“For example, there were over 2 000 unplanned power interruptions across the metro in the 2013/14 financial year alone, and 50 per cent of these were underground cable faults.
“Each of the power outages has to be identified and investigated individually, and the DA has requested that the Energy Department provide the oversight committee with a comprehensive breakdown of the problems, including what actions were taken to resolve the power failures,” says Haipel.
According to Haipel it is simply a matter of mismanagement of the departments. The DA says that the MMC for Water and Energy, Clr Aubrey Nxumalo, should step aside in favour of someone who will implement the very simple measures required to prevent a crisis and complete the necessary upgrades and maintenance.
Haipel says challenges facing the Energy Department could be easily rectified if proper steps are taken namely: adequate budget for the upgrades and maintenance, proper cooperation with the EMPD to prevent theft of equipment and cables, and the prevention of illegal connections, which not only cost the metro over R250-million per year, but also put unnecessary stress on the system, which causes more faults and shortening the life of the equipment.
“In the Water Department, delays are caused by bad planning.
“The Vosloorus and Pomona New Eastern outfall sewer tenders and the Elsburg Koppies contract were not awarded in the last financial year. Delays of this nature on huge projects such as these have far- reaching consequences for residents and simply cannot be allowed to continue.”
“A well-run metro would have key performance indicators (KPI) which would accurately reflect the upgrade targets and a full staff of properly qualified officials would be measured on these targets,” concludes Haipel. – @IschkeBoksburg
