1 375 power outages in eight months
The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality has been paralysed by 1 375 electricity outages in the first eight months of 2014, or nearly six outages per day.
This was revealed in a reply to a parliamentary questions asked by Democratic Alliance Member of Parliament Mike Waters.
The number of outages for each month are:
* January: 189
* February: 140
* March: 213
* April: 173
* May: 146
* June: 186
* July: 177
* August: 151
“While I did ask for the reasons for each outage, the reply merely stated: ‘The reasons for these outages are currently being investigated’,” said Waters.
According to Waters, the frustrations these outages place on families is unacceptable, with many not being able to bath and cook food, while businesses suffer due to lost productivity, which has the potential for job losses.
“One of the core responsibilities of the metro is to ensure a constant and reliable supply of electricity to the residents and businesses,” he said.
“If they cannot provide this service then the residents should be seriously asking whether the current governing party is fit to remain in office.
“I will be asking follow-up questions in Parliament to determine what the causes are of the astronomical number of outages.”
