The Ekurhuleni Metro has been paralysed by 1 375 electricity outages in the first eight months of 2014.
This equates to nearly six outages per day.
This was revealed in a reply to parliamentary questions asked by DA Member of Parliament Michael Waters.
Outages were experienced across the metro, between January and August, as follows:
- January: 189
- February: 140
- March: 213
- April: 173
- May: 146
- June: 186
- July: 177
“While I did ask for the reasons for each outage, the reply merely stated: ‘The reasons for these outages are currently being established’,” said Waters.
“The frustration 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 a 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.
“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, in order to determine what the causes are of the astronomical number of outages.”
