Durban:A legal showdown is looming between two KwaZulu-Natal Midlands municipalities – the Msunduzi and UMngeni Local Municipalities over erratic electricity supply to suburbs under the latter DA-controlled town.
UMngeni has urged its residents to help it gather evidence regarding the electricity challenges they are facing.
Msunduzi is responsible for providing electricity to areas within UMngeni, and since the municipality was taken over by the DA following the last local government elections, UMngeni has been calling for the status quo to change.
The two parties are currently engaged in an intergovernmental dispute resolution mechanism aimed at finding a solution to UMngeni’s demand to take charge of electricity supply to its areas.
The tension surrounding this awkward arrangement has been exacerbated by power outages affecting UMngeni suburbs such as Hilton, which have angered residents.
UMngeni Municipality said the situation was no longer tolerable. Under the leadership of mayor Chris Pappas, UMngeni has invited Hilton residents to assist with information that could support the pending legal action against Msunduzi Municipality.
“Three years have passed since the new administration took over, during which several pleas have been made to Msunduzi for stable electricity provision to the paying residents of Hilton, but these requests have gone unanswered,” the municipality said.
“Consequently, UMngeni Municipality is now proceeding with legal action against Msunduzi. UMngeni Municipality is asking Hilton residents and businesses to please share records of outages in the area to strengthen the case.”
Kate Janse van Rensburg, the councillor for the area, said residents are severely affected by the poor supply.
“Over the December period, we experienced many hours, and even days, without electricity in parts of Msunduzi supplied by the Hilton area. The impact on not only households but also businesses in the area during this time is devastating.
“We understand that the processes involved in fault finding and repairs to infrastructure take time; however, the lack of maintenance is very evident. The revenue collected from the paying residents of the Hilton area should be reinvested into the infrastructure to prevent these prolonged outages that support the local economy,” she said.
Msunduzi municipal spokesperson Ntobeko Mkhize said over the years, the municipality has made significant investments to maintain and upgrade Hilton’s electricity infrastructure. While these efforts have improved resilience, some challenges persist, particularly those beyond the municipality’s control.
“A substantial number of (power)disruptions are caused by vegetation encroaching on electricity servitudes. While we are addressing vegetation within municipal plantations, there are also instances of trees on private properties contributing to outages.
“The wind storm in December caused widespread devastation, uprooting trees that fell on power lines, resulting in significant damage. Hilton was among the areas heavily impacted,” she said.
“The challenges in Hilton are not a result of neglect but of unforeseen natural events and external factors. Msunduzi Municipality remains committed to addressing these issues collaboratively, in the spirit of co-operative governance, to ensure a stable electricity supply to Hilton and surrounding areas.”