Energy department accused of not maintaining lights
“In recent answers to questions submitted to council, the MMC for Water, Sanitation and Energy, Clr Tiisetso Nketle, admitted that the Springs Energy Depot did not have sufficient stock during the past year and she blamed it on procurement delays,” says Labuschagne.
Ward Clr Wollaston Labuschagne has accused the Springs and Nigel Energy Department of not maintaining street lights in the area.
This, he says, has left residents angry and frustrated with the inaction of the metro.
According to Labuschagne, the increase in crime can be linked to the faulty streetlights which have left residents in the dark, with their safety compromised.
In some cases, streetlights have been off for a year or longer in suburban areas and for much longer periods along main roads.
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“There are two very simple reasons why the energy department has not done proper maintenance and why such a huge backlog exists:
“1) A lack of proper planning
“2) Insufficient stock of fittings, globes, cables, etc.
“In recent answers to questions submitted to council, the MMC for Water, Sanitation and Energy, Clr Tiisetso Nketle, admitted that the Springs Energy Depot did not have sufficient stock during the past year and she blamed it on procurement delays,” says Labuschagne.
In response to Labuschagne, Nketle added: “The parts are being sourced from other depots in the metro to augment the current stock available in the Springs depot while the procurement process is being finalised.”
In addition, Labuschagne questioned the metro’s wisdom in erecting 25m high mast lights at various intersections instead of repairing and maintaining the existing streetlight infrastructure.
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“It honestly does not make sense to spend exorbitant amounts of money on these costly masts,” says Labuschagne.
According to the latest metro budget, millions of rands will be spent on streetlight network enhancement during the 2019/2020 financial year; however, this is yet to be seen considering the Springs and Nigel Energy Department’s record of accomplishment.
Labuschagne added he will be submitting follow-up questions for the September council meeting in order to establish if the depot has received the necessary stock and resources and whether skilled and qualified technicians and sub-contractors have been identified.
Additionally, over the past weeks, Labuschagne has noticed a disturbing trend of certain energy department officials illegally close EMIS system reference numbers without any work being done.
“Residents are, therefore, encouraged to communicate these reference numbers to their ward councillors after a week or two of reporting the faults,” says Labuschagne.
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