Ramaphosa blames illegal connections and El Niño for utility crisis
But the warm greetings quickly gave way to sharp complaints over crumbling infrastructure and severe utility shortages during the campaign stop northeast of Pretoria, News24 reported.
Hostel Residents Endure Weeks Without Power and Water
The prolonged outages caused groceries to spoil in the heat, while residents also contended with overflowing sewage pipes and uncollected garbage near their living quarters. Once Ramaphosa left, residents led the media to the toilet blocks to show the extent of the decay, stating that the conditions posed a risk.
The door-to-door visit ahead of the November 4 local government elections drew a mixed reception.
Ramaphosa Blames Overloaded Transformers and El Niño
In response to the complaints, Ramaphosa attributed the power outages to rampant illegal connections that have overloaded local transformers. He stated that the provincial government and municipality plan to install replacement transformers and relocate them away from easily accessible areas, noting specifically: It is a problem because there have been a lot of illegal connections and that has exerted enormous pressure on the transformers. So, the transformers have blown up and have collapsed.
He added: But the province and the municipality are going to be installing further transformers and relocating them from places where they are easily accessible by illegal connectors. So, the electricity problem has been articulated to me, and I have been told that there are clear plans for addressing that,
after noting he had also taken note of concerns at the wooden shack.
Regarding the widespread water shortages, Ramaphosa told residents that the crisis stems from national supply challenges worsened by the El Niño weather phenomenon. More so during the El Niño phenomenon. And we are getting ready. In fact, we are ready in government. He noted that the government has established an interministerial committee and allocated funds in the midterm policy budget to address the impacts of El Niño.
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Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi accompanied Ramaphosa on the campaign trail.