Dear Editor
Fed-up residents and businesses in Cradock and Middelburg have been without municipal electricity for the last seven days. This follows after the Inxuba Yethemba Municipality decided to block electricity and pre-paid supply due to alleged arrears and non-payment.
I have written to the Eastern Cape MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Zolile Williams, to demand that he intervene to resolve the mounting conflict between residents and the council’s political leadership.
Businesses and residents have not received municipal accounts for years, and credit control measures are hardly ever instituted to maintain an effective and efficient financial system.
Various businesses and residents have suffered disruptive routines as the Council embarked on a disconnection spree to boost the shrinking municipal budget.
Yesterday, 07 February 2024, furious residents of Cradock and Middelburg mobilised and took to the streets, and also congregated at municipal buildings.
Retail stores, industrial businesses, and even funeral parlours were targeted, forcing some business owners to turn to the high court in Makhanda for help to get their electricity switched back on to sustain daily cash flow and to pay accounts and salaries.
The DA has been at the forefront of informing MEC Williams about the ongoing electricity issues in the Inxuba Yethemba Municipality but we have had no response from him regarding a previous letter and a discussion we had with him about the mounting frustration and anger of residents.
The political leadership of the municipality and the municipal manager must be fired, as they have abdicated their fiduciary duties.
DA public representatives have assisted the poor and vulnerable communities in verifying subsidy statuses on the municipal system, as in many instances their information had mysteriously disappeared and they were slapped with huge electricity accounts.
The DA condemns the ANC-controlled municipality’s uncaring attitude and conduct. We believe that the municipality’s action is illegal and procedurally flawed.
We will continue to fight to rescue the Inxuba Yethemba Municipality’s people and ensure they get the basic services they are entitled to.
Regards
Kobus Botha MPL
EC Midlands Constituency Leader