Note to Broadcasters: Please find attached soundbites in English and Afrikaans by Inge Wilken
The Democratic Alliance (DA) expresses deep concern and frustration over the electricity outage that left the northern suburbs without power for more than 48 hours. This prolonged blackout was not the result of an unavoidable technical failure, it was the direct consequence of poor management and the municipality’s ongoing failure to maintain essential store items.
Critical high-voltage joints required to restore supply were simply not available. This shortage persisted despite repeated requests to the Stores Section, under the leadership and oversight of the Chief Financial Officer to prioritise and stock vital materials needed for electricity repairs and daily operations. These warnings were ignored, and residents paid the price.
It is unacceptable that a municipality responsible for providing services cannot maintain even the most basic inventory needed to keep the lights on. This is yet another example of administrative negligence and the absence of proper planning, leaving families, businesses, schools, and vulnerable residents in needless hardship.
Adding to the crisis, the electrical cables between the Doringkruin and Monica substations, the root cause of the outage, should have been replaced by the end of September 2025. Due to non-payment of the contractor, the project was halted, once again highlighting financial mismanagement and the collapse of operational discipline within the municipality.
The DA calls on the Municipal Manager and the Executive Mayor to immediately investigate this failure within the Stores Section and to hold those responsible for sabotaging Matlosana’s economy and frustrating its residents to account. Essential stock items must be replenished without delay, and proper procurement and inventory controls must be enforced to prevent future crises.
Matlosana residents deserve reliable service delivery, not excuses, mismanagement, and avoidable outages caused by incompetence. The DA will continue to fight for accountable, transparent, and responsive governance.