The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Tshwane is deeply concerned as the ongoing electricity failures in the City of Tshwane are now directly preventing critical road maintenance, worsening potholes and placing motorists at risk.
English soundbite by Cllr Dikeledi Selowa
Yet another power outage has left the Bon Accord quarry without electricity, halting the City’s production of hot mix asphalt at a time when heavy December rainfall has severely damaged roads across the city. With schools reopened and increased traffic, planned road maintenance should have been a priority.
Instead, Tshwane Roads is operating with only one functional jet patcher, limited asphalt collection capacity, and is forced to rely on cold asphalt. Cold asphalt is a temporary fix that does not address long-term road damage. The City is now being pushed to outsource asphalt production, creating even more unnecessary costs.
This crisis is the direct result of the ANC-led administration’s failure to maintain electricity infrastructure. Yet again, the protection of electricity infrastructure and keeping lights on falls to the wayside, while millions are spent on water tankers and watchman services.
The Executive Mayor, who has centralised pothole maintenance in her office, has failed to act with urgency or communicate clearly to restore power to the Bon Accord area, where cable faults have cut supply to both the quarry and nearby residents.
Under the DA, upgrades were made to ensure the City could produce its own asphalt. Those gains are now being undermined by poor management, lack of maintenance, and ignored preventative plans.
Tshwane residents deserve safe roads, reliable electricity, and a city government capable of delivering basic services without creating cascading failures.