The DA will submit written questions on the overall state of the electrical department to the Speaker, Councillor Sanie Tiba, following the storm earlier this month which left large parts of Tzaneen municipality paralysed.
On 27 October 2024, a storm hit Tzaneen, Letsitele and surrounds which left a huge part of the farming area in Letsitele without electricity.
The turn-around time to repair damaged lines is exacerbated by the aged infrastructure but was further aggravated by internal problems, allegedly a strike by electricians.
This had disastrous consequences for the Letsitele community as they were unable to pump water while rampant veld fires were raging.
With the assistance of the DA, Politsi farmers assisted with helicopters to fight the fires, but because no water was available in the area the damages incurred was catastrophic.
DA Provincial Spokesperson for Agriculture, Marie Helm and DA Councillor, Chrisma Bredenkamp, attended an emergency meeting on 30 October 2024 with affected farmers on how to mitigate and prevent this type of emergency in future.
We will further probe the electrical department’s management, budget, human resources as well as vehicles, equipment, maintenance plans and the location and maintenance of substations to hold those responsible to account and to prevent future incidents where lives and property are at risk.
The sheer lack of will to react to this emergency is tantamount to the lack of leadership within the municipality.
The DA will offer assistance to those affected and will lay bare the facts and hold the implicated officials responsible.