Earlier this week, I read with great concern a love letter to the mayor that was purported to be a think piece.
However, when I read the last word, I couldn’t help but conclude that no thought was put into the letter at all.
The letter sought to praise the city’s handling of the electricity crisis and “blamed” both the DA and ANC equally.
Respectfully, of course, I feel inclined to point out that this view not only obscures the real causes of the infrastructure failure, but it also undermines the accountability we, as residents, deserve.
Walk with me down memory lane for a moment.
A report finalised on September 10 2024 and tabled to the electricity standing committee on November 22 2024, in no uncertain terms detailed the significant maintenance problems affecting both the Chelsea/Arlington line and the Greenbushes/Bloemendal line.
That report is proof that the city was well aware of the deteriorating condition of this infrastructure and the risks it posed.
Yet, in the true laissez-faire government approach that the ANC has become known for, no meaningful corrective action was taken.
It was this known neglect that inevitably led to the collapse of the pylons that caused the recent outages.
It is no secret that these pylons were overdue for maintenance long before the crisis, a fact widely acknowledged across the engineering and electricity sector.
When the DA was part of the government, efforts were made to address these issues, particularly around the appointment of contractors that would take on the urgently needed maintenance.
This process, unfortunately fell apart due to administrative issues dating back to 2017.
Regrettably, before these matters could be finalised, the DA was removed from government, interrupting the corrective processes that had been initiated.
And so, it stands to reason that the narrative that the DA and ANC are equally to blame in this matter is nothing short of misleading.
It glosses over the stark reality that the ANC-led administration had more than enough notice and opportunity to act but failed to prioritise and execute the necessary maintenance work.
That neglect has cost residents dearly.
It has compromised service delivery and significantly diminished confidence in municipal governance, under the ANC.
Now, let’s talk about the outage timeline.
While restoring a power outage of this magnitude in seven days is commendable, the fact that the original projection was 14 days merely reflects the cautious way city officials tend to estimate repair timelines.
This is often overstated to allow for operational contingencies.
It is also why most communication on localised outages is always concluded with the infamous tagline “no timeframes available”.
There was nothing exceptional about this; it is standard practice and should not be used to inflate claims of political “leadership” in this context.
My only frustration here is that residents deserve accountability and honesty.
The true problem here is not a theoretical shared guilt between parties, but the failure of those in power to protect and maintain critical infrastructure, even when warned.
That failure should not be obscured by fluff commentary.
Our city cannot afford to continue down this path.
The ANC had its chance, and it failed the people of Nelson Mandela Bay dismally.
We must not allow the same failures to continue under the guise of pseudo political victories
- Concerned resident/voter
