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Businesses in Wadeville, Germiston are being held to ransom by frequent electricity interruptions and water shortages making the ease of doing business in Ekurhuleni’s main industrial area almost impossible.

Speaking to several industrial businesses in Wadeville, it is abundantly clear that poor planning, aging infrastructure, a lack of skilled staff in crucial departments and non-existent stock control in the energy department have led to the collapse of crucial infrastructure.

 In the current financial year, Wadeville has experienced a cumulative 67 hours of power outages and 75.3 hours of low voltage. This has led to companies operating in the area to sustain huge losses – not only in terms of the loss of operating hours, but damage to expensive machinery that was not designed to cope with constant electricity fluctuations.

Last week I visited Primrose to inspect the site where a water reservoir was to be renovated. This project was a budgeted item; however the budget was mysteriously pulled from the project.

This is yet another example of crucial infrastructure that has once again been neglected and will invariably fall into disrepair.

Ekurhuleni has an expanded unemployment rate of 39%, or 747 000 people who are not economically active.

This is in part due to service delivery instability, a lack of maintenance to critical infrastructure and vacant funded posts requiring technical artisans.

This has created an environment which is not conducive to growing the economy of the municipality.

A once a thriving industrial city, areas like Wadeville highlight that under the ANC, Ekurhuleni is a shadow of its former self.

As Mayor, I will ensure that there is an urgent skills audit in the municipality and that critical posts are filled - while stock management in the Energy Department is streamlined and audited.

I will ensure that companies and individuals are incentivised to generate electricity to take strain off the grid, while the surplus will be fed back into the grid to keep the lights on and the economy running.

Ekurhuleni has the potential to be an economic powerhouse, not only for the economy of Gauteng, but a key driver in the South African economy.

If Ekurhuleni works, South Africa works.

Issued by DA Ekurhuleni Mayoral Candidate Refiloe Nt’sekhe MPL