I am writing this email with a heavy heart as a resident, mother, and employee who works from home, and most importantly, a law-abiding tax and service charge payer.
Our metro is facing an unprecedented breakdown in basic service delivery.
The ongoing, severe water outages and unpredictable power disruptions are making daily survival, parenting, and maintaining remote employment nearly impossible.
As a work-from-home professional, my livelihood depends entirely on stable utility infrastructure.
The current water and electricity crisis directly compromises my ability to meet my job performance standards, threatening my economic security and my family’s wellbeing.
Furthermore, as a mother, managing a household and ensuring the hygiene, safety, and health of my children without predictable water supply has become an unmanageable crisis.
Despite fulfilling my civic duty by paying my municipal rates and service charges on time, the municipality is failing to provide the basic constitutional services we pay for.
Throughout this ordeal, I have incurred three separate incidents resulting in the destruction of essential household appliances:
- Refrigerator
- Microwave oven
- Television
In February when we fell victim of this ordeal near a month without electricity and did not form part of the rotational schedule (total blackout) the mayor, Babalwa Lobishe promised that it was all worth it as we will never experience this problem again.
However, we find ourselves in the same predicament, of being foreigners in our own country.
I demand immediate feedback from Lobishe on when our power will be permanently stabilised.
First, what are the exact reasons the municipality has failed to entirely repair the Steve Biko 11 kV feeder?
Second, what is the specific timeframe for the municipality to fully resolve this electricity crisis?
Lastly, when will standard water pressure be restored to Walmer township, as the current low pressure makes basic domestic tasks like laundry impossible?
Nicky Zani, Gqeberha
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