Lekwa Ratepayers Association(LRPA) has recently written a letter to the administrator of the Lekwa Municipality, Mr Johann Mettler, voicing their concerns.
The letter read that this year has been far worse than last year in terms of the length and total amount of load-shedding.
“What we are currently experiencing, makes no sense,” was said.
A request was made for data on the loads. An example was given on load-shedding in Substation B at 17:00, with the temperature at 24°C. A two-hour-long interruption followed.
Another example was the power interruption, again for two hours, with the sun shining and no wind to speak of, in the morning.
The document went on to say that the shedding schedule remains at two-hour-slots.
“The community must resort to almost unbearable living conditions,” was also said.
Sub B furthermore, remains a concern.
“Lekwa collects almost all their revenue from the businesses and residents in Ward 10 in Sub B.
“What are they paying for exactly?”
According to the LRPA, Scada will obviously show a high activity because it is the town’s lifeline.
The LRPA argued that the ratepayers are punished, being the golden goose.
In conclusion, the request on data was reiterated, saying distrust in the community is growing.
Mr Gary van Aswegen, chairman of the Vaal Business Forum, said on Thursday, 9 September that the manner and time-frame in which load-shedding is done, are problematic.
According to Mr Van Aswegen, businesses lose thousands of rands because of the above. He questioned why
the load can not be managed consistently so as to put the power back on after 20 minutes.
The absence of load-shedding this past Monday, which was a cold day, also raised a question mark.
The Standerton Advertiser has been trying to schedule an appointment with the municipal manager for the past three weeks, to no avail.
A list of questions was also emailed to the manager in his office, Ms Belinda Tilly, again no response.
Another attempt was made to solicit comment from the communications manager, Ms Thobeka Mtshiselwa, on Wednesday, September 8.
Response is awaited.
