Durban — The ANC and the DA in Pietermaritzburg have entered into a race for the much-contested ward 28 by-election in Msunduzi Municipality which will take place on Wednesday.
The ward has been a hive of activity as political parties continued with their campaigning in the hope of gaining control of the ward which has exchanged hands between the two parties during past terms.
ANC Moses Mabhida regional secretary Samora Ndlovu said they were hopeful that they will win the by-election – which is under DA control – decrying poor service in the area.
“We have observed how service delivery has ground to a halt in the ward, with overgrown vegetation and street lights that do not work.
“Our hope is that our message will be heard and residents will give us a chance,” Ndlovu said.
DA leader John Steenhuisen on Saturday embarked on a visit to the municipality’s embattled ward 28 ahead of the by-election, with the aim to do an inspection of the dysfunctional Lahore Road substation.
He also interacted with the local community around service delivery challenges bedevilling them.
“As South Africans suffer under the burden of rolling Eskom blackouts, collapsed infrastructure like dysfunctional substations add to extended periods without electricity supply, negatively affecting the ability of municipalities to deliver water and sanitation services,” Steenhuisen said.
Steenhuisen added that Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe has proven that he is completely out of his depth when it comes to the electricity crisis in the country.
DA Mineral Resources spokesperson Kevin Mileham said Mantashe has repeatedly said Eskom must “just” turn on the generation units that are offline and load shedding will be solved.
The African Christian Democratic Party’s Rinus Niemand said the electricity situation in the Msunduzi municipality’s ward 28 is dire – with both electricity and water provision having reached critical proportions.
“The infrastructure is not maintained. Broken transformers take days to be fixed, resulting in prolonged load-reduction experienced in the areas of Msunduzi.
“Most of the communities here don’t pay for the services that are provided.
“Water and electricity are the worst affected of the services.
“We urge the municipality not to continue providing services to people who are not paying for them,” Niemand added.
Daily News