DA welcomes provision of R88.8 million to reduce blackouts in WC municipalities

31st January 2023

DA welcomes provision of R88.8 million to reduce blackouts in WC municipalities

Photo by: Reuters

The DA welcomes the announcement by the Western Cape Provincial Government of R88.8 million in funding to reduce the impact of continuous load shedding in the Western Cape’s municipalities. In conjunction with the Cape Town Metro’s revolutionary plan to reduce load shedding by four stages, this procurement represents the first steps in the DA’s plans to end rolling blackouts where it governs.

The funding, which has been released by the Provincial Treasury from the provincial revenue fund, will be used by local governments to power the most important municipal infrastructure during power outages. By acquiring backup generators to do this, municipalities will be able to ensure that vital infrastructure, including the pumps used to supply residents with water, will remain functional despite continuous rolling blackouts. These generators will also be used to ensure that power and water infrastructure is not damaged by power surges after blackouts, thus eliminating the pervasive expense of repairing this infrastructure, which many municipalities can ill-afford.

The Western Cape Department of Local Government will be administering the funds to municipalities, and will carefully monitor the use of the money to guard against any irregular expenditure.

Derrick America said: “This allocation represents another DA government stepping up to the plate and going beyond their mandate to get the job done. The ANC has made electricity provision the sole responsibility of the national government and Eskom, but their continued failure to do so and the DA’s refusal to leave its people in the lurch means that the Western Cape Government has no other option but to take matters into its own hands. Between measures such as this one and the innovative approach to energy resilience currently being implemented in the City of Cape Town, residents of the Western Cape can look forward to a future in which the DA keeps the lights on permanently, regardless of the failures of the ANC and Eskom.”

“These actions further prove that the DA is the only party with a real plan to end rolling blackouts, and I look forward to seeing.

 

Issued by Derrick America, MPP - DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Local Government