Sector unity lights up the town
After havoc arose about proposed load-shedding by Thaba Chweu Municipality, the issue was resolved and the town will now be operating as normal.
LYDENBURG – After havoc arose about proposed load-shedding by Thaba Chweu Municipality, the issue was resolved and the town will now be operating as normal.
According to Mr Leon de Jager, great teamwork, commitment and a common goal resulted in success this past weekend when TCM’s electrical department, the various mines, Glencore Smelter and the private sector worked together to “sort out” our town’s electrical problems.
“The common goal was to uncouple and remove the damaged transformer at Rooidraai substation and to replace it with a spare TCM transformer.
The teamwork and commitment comprised of the planning of the operation, the sourcing of a suitable crane and truck from the private sector, organising skilled artisans from the mines and smelter and executing the plan to deliver the desired outcome.”
He said that they, as the residents and business sector, would like to extend their thanks to the persons involved for their willingness, diligence and perseverance to keep the lights on.
“Our town is truly blessed with special people who are willing to sacrifice time, equipment and money for the common good of others.”
With regard to ensuring reliable electricity to the town, De Jager said; “Firstly, we can thankfully say that there will not be any further “local power shedding” implemented by TCM, unless so instructed by Eskom.
We must know that the electrical distribution infrastructure of our town is old and was not well maintained in the past, so isolated incidents of power outages can happen as a result of failing equipment.
We need to encourage TCM to pay special attention to this over the next few years.”
TCM must ensure that proper town planning is done and that any planned developments are aligned with its capacity to supply electricity, water and sewerage services.
He said the hydro power station, a major asset for the town, must be better managed and utilised by TCM.
“We are sure that the technical committee will focus on this in their discussions with TCM and mediate the process to get the hydro functioning to its full potential, saving TCM hundreds of thousands per month in the process.
We are sure that TCM’s management will consult with the technical committee and the business chamber in future before introducing a power scheduling plan for our town. The one introduced last week was not practical and would have caused severe hardship for business and households alike.”
TCM told the newspaper that Rooidraai substation has been commissioned on June 13 and that it was currently up and running. “The council is thankful for the assistance received from Glencore Lydenburg Smelter and Barko in resolving the electricity situation.
The network has currently stabilised but the technical services department is continuously monitoring it. Talks between the hydro service provider and TCM have currently broken down and the municipality is hoping that the discussions will resume again soon. The hydro plant has been switched off.”
