Open electricity boxes are still a major concern among residents. Freedom Front Plus councillor, Louise Jonker, wants the Govan Mbeki Municipality to take immediate action to eliminate the danger posed by the condition of electricity transmission boxes.

“We as the Freedom Front Plus urgently request that the municipal manager, Elliot Maseko, conduct a comprehensive safety audit of all the electricity boxes in Secunda, Kinross, Evander and Trichardt,” said Jonker.

“Many of these boxes are standing wide open without doors, are severely rusted and regularly vandalised. This poses serious safety risks.

“The theft of copper and circuit breakers causes electrical shock hazards and increases the risk of fires.

“It also contributes to recurrent and prolonged power outages disrupting the lives of residents and business owners on a daily basis.

“The municipality has a legal and moral obligation to protect residents against such foreseeable hazards and to provide reliable electricity supply.”

According to Jonker, the Freedom Front Plus will closely monitor the situation, and expects the municipality to promptly announce a repair plan with a clear timeframe to secure this critical infrastructure.

The party also plans to engage with the Deputy Director of the Electricity Department within seven days.

“The hazardous state of these electricity transmission boxes and the recurring power outages are direct consequences of the ANC’s years of mismanagement and failure to protect basic infrastructure,” said Jonker.

Donald Green, spokesperson of Govan Mbeki Municipality, said the municipality is aware of the damaged and open electricity boxes across various areas.

According to Green, the Energy Section is attending to these as part of its ongoing maintenance programme.

“Repairs are prioritised based on the level of risk to public safety, the condition of the infrastructure and available resources.

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“High-risk sites are attended to as a matter of urgency. The municipality has an ongoing maintenance plan for its electrical infrastructure, which includes routine inspections, preventative maintenance and repairs.

“The department also responds to reported faults and damage, particularly where public safety is at risk.”

On the Ridge Times’ question if the municipality has money to fix these electricity boxes, Green said the municipality budgets annually for the maintenance and repair of electrical infrastructure.

“However, available funding must be shared across various service delivery priorities. In addition, recurring vandalism and theft place significant pressure on the maintenance budget, requiring repairs to be prioritised.

“The municipality is implementing a phased approach to address damaged electricity boxes. This includes identifying and repairing high-risk installations, replacing damaged equipment where necessary, conducting routine inspections and responding to reports from the public.

“The municipality also continues to work with law enforcement agencies to curb vandalism and theft of electrical infrastructure, while encouraging residents to report damaged or open electricity boxes so that they can be repaired as quickly as possible.”