Ward 97 Councillor Jacques Hoon holds heated public meeting to update residents on service delivery challenges

Raw emotion and pent-up frustration blur the administrative lines.

In a lecture hall packed beyond capacity, Ward 97 Councillor Jacques Hoon faced a seething community to offer explanations on the various service delivery challenges facing the ward. Electricity outages lasting days at a time, a crumbling road network further deteriorated by incessant traffic and taps that may or may not spout water are all among the issues making daily existence a chore for residents.

The die-hards stayed for the full four hours it took to get the answers they came for, some leaving earlier than the rest after deciding their craving for a remedy could not be satiated. In the absence of a Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) official, Hoon gave a basic update on the Hendrik Potgieter Road situation and Kobus Beukes gave a brief rundown of Johannesburg Water’s woes well after the three hour mark. The bulk of the time, however, was dedicated to the foundation of modern living – electricity.

Hoon’s pragmatic public address
Hoon began the evening with a statement on the condition of his working environment to lay the foundation for explanations to come. An interlinking thread tied to all challenges is an R9.9 billion shortfall in the budget of the City of Johannesburg, leaving the City in a dire financial situation. Hoon explained that cash flow was not materialising highlighting how City Power itself was only collecting roughly 85% of the money owed.

This funding shortfall meant contractors could not be paid leading to service delivery shortcomings. A longer-term problem would be that budget deficits would affect upcoming financial allocations for municipal entities leaving administrators constantly playing catch-up. Theft and vandalism, a reduction in billable hours due to Eskom-mandated load-shedding, and the continued fallout from the December storms were all noted as a drain on funds.

There is a small glimmer of hope, as the Lutz-Dalkeith project will bring an added electrical supply point to the ward, with the Lutz substation hopefully going live in roughly 10 months. Extra funds have been allocated for the ward and most of that is expected to go toward electrical infrastructure. Protecting said infrastructure is vital, and Hoon urged residents to support their homeowners’ associations and residents’ associations in their patrolling efforts.

Unshackled fury released by irate residents
Toward the end of their councillor’s address and at the beginning of the City Power presentation, the resident’s patience expired. Expletive-laden rants were directed at officials and arguments broke out between residents as the public meeting threatened to descend into chaos. After a brief release of pressure, matters calmed and the threat of having to dissolve the meeting subsided. However, many had had enough and stormed out of the heated auditorium.

Some allowed their anger to simmer, waiting for the chance to grill the men they believe hold the keys to the ward’s livelihood. Hoon stressed that he did not wish to give lofty promises or leave people misinformed and gave an impassioned plea for residents to understand the difficult position City officials find themselves in, challenging residents not to doubt his commitment to the cause.

“This is a problem 30 years in the making. Eskom is very much to blame and as they are a national body the problem can not be solved in this room tonight. There has not been a day when part of this ward has been without power and if you think that does not anger me as your public representative then you would be making a huge mistake,” explained Hoon. The tension did not dissipate but a shaky truce was reached.

Questions answered by City Power Roodepoort Service Delivery Centre General Manager, Sibusiso Xulu
Sibusiso Xulu was present to answer questions posed to him by the Ward 97 committee. Addressing the four feeder cables that supply the ward, Xulu explained that when one or more is nonoperational, the network becomes overloaded. The cables are often stolen in the wetlands around the Christiaan de Wet substation and stressed that the six kilometres of cable could not be guarded at all times.

Xulu stated that 70% of outages were caused by cable theft, 20% were due to failed infrastructure and 10% were due to poor workmanship. He identified a possible solution as converting roadside and underground cables to overhead lines, and while he was busy compiling that proposal, it would cost R16 million which City Power currently does not have.

Residents have put forward the suggestion of the ward being exempt from load-shedding until the situation improves. Xulu responded by saying City Power was acting under instruction from Eskom. Should the national supplier state a certain amount of current must be cut, it must be spread across all blocks evenly. Hoon added that every one of the City’s councillors was fighting to have their wards recognised as the most negatively impacted area of Johannesburg.

The dissemination of information is a major gripe for residents as accurate planning is the only sane way to cope with outages. Xulu explained that the control room in Booysens was receiving information from the technicians in the field and admitted this relay was not always efficient. City Power has thus bolstered its communications department to create an additional link that better filters messages between the entity and residents.

Defending the infrastructure and the way forward
City Power General Manager for Security, Sergeant Thela, explained that the entity operates a network of 18 000 kilometres of underground cable and over 23 000 load centres, just over 100 of those being in Ward 97. He revealed City Power received R100 million per year to defend the network and despite arresting well over 200 suspects in 2023, thieves hid in the dark, taking advantage of uncut grass.

READ MORE: Ward 97 residents at breaking point with City Power and ward governance

Thela admitted that thieves knew the network as some had worked on lines as part of contractor teams. He said there was no silver bullet to dealing with cable theft but highlighted a new City Power document that helps to form security partnerships with private entities. Regarding security tenders, Thela aims to find security contractors who are committed to their community.

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The overarching message was that the electricity network is a massive problem that requires, national, provincial and local government collaboration to solve. The marathon meeting was indicative of the importance of the subject as well as how deeply invested and concerned both administrators and residents are. The daily suffering varies but the fortunes of the coming weeks, months and years hinge on the city’s electrical supply.

READ MORE: Suburbs from Allen’s Nek to Honeydew suffering constant electricity abuse