THE City of Ekurhuleni has accused the DA of spreading false reports about the expenditure incurred by the metro to upgrade the Germiston Council Chambers.
“We wish to dispel false information perpetuated by the Democratic Alliance saying the City spent R130 million for the upgrade, when in fact, the city spent R34 million,” Themba Gadebe, metro spokesman, said in a statement issued on Friday.
This followed a statement issued by the DA mayoral candidate, Ghaleb Cachalia, on July 6, in which he said: “Recently, the ANC-led administration spent R130 million on upgrading the Germiston Council Chambers, while only setting aside R100 million to deal with the power outages. Insufficient expenditure to fix the electricity grid and with no clear long-term plan to develop and create additional capacity, the ANC has once again shown that it is neither serious about residents nor creating the capacity to stimulate economic growth in the metro.”
Gadebe said the upgraded facility could now cater for an increased number of councillors who would take office in 2016. The seating capacity was increased from 210 to 254, which also includes more seats for disabled councillors. An additional 17 closed offices were constructed, four soundproof translation booths erected (meaning four languages can now be translated at the same time) and the ailing old audio visual system replaced.
A second floor canteen has also been converted into a guest restaurant. The kitchen has been revamped and the executive-style furniture has been procured. The purpose of this facility is to host dignitaries.
Gadebe said money allocated to stabilise the frequently failing medium voltage underground cable feeders in Germiston was increased by an additional R50 million, bringing the total for refurbishments and maintenance to R130 million. “The total distance of new cables installed by June this year in Germiston and surrounding areas is about 30km.”
Ekurhuleni has set aside an additional R80 million to further refurbish and upgrade the Germiston electricity distribution infrastructure. The identified and prioritised equipment is mainly ageing underground cables and switch gear. Copper conductor cables that are prone to theft will also be replaced with less theft prone aluminium conductors, he added.
“The total refurbishment and maintenance budget for the Germiston area is therefore increased to just over R200 million. The total distance of new medium voltage cables to be replaced is about 60km.”
Member of the Mayoral Committee on Energy, Clr Doctor Xhakaza, said: “The above projects will reduce the number of unplanned power failures and improve the supply of electricity in the area. The expenditure trends on the stabilisation of Germiston electrical distribution network will be maintained in the preceding financial years to further strengthen supply of electricity.”
As far as regular outages in Boksburg were concerned, the City implemented cable replacement projects on July 8 to replace the frequently failing medium voltage underground cables. The cables being replaced are feeding Knights, Jet Park, Anderbolt, Ravensklip, Ravenswood, Farrar Park, Boksburg North and surrounding areas. The total distance of the new medium voltage cables being replaced is 8km at a cost of about R10 million.
“The City continues to analyse the performance of the electrical distribution network to identify potential weak spots and frequently failing distribution equipment. The identified equipment is prioritised for either refurbishment or upgrade,” Xhakaza said.
