Note to Broadcasters: Please find attached soundbites in English and Afrikaans by Juanita Terblanche
The Democratic Alliance (DA) is deeply concerned by the ongoing electricity crisis in the JB Marks Local Municipality, which continues to leave residents and businesses in darkness for extended periods while critical infrastructure steadily deteriorates.
The municipality’s latest public notice confirming another widespread outage affecting the entire Potchefstroom area following repeated failures at the Potch DS Substation is further evidence of a municipality unable to guarantee reliable basic services to its residents.
For months, communities across JB Marks have endured recurring blackouts caused by infrastructure failures, cable theft, illegal connections, and years of poor maintenance. As winter approaches, residents are once again being forced to suffer through cold nights, disrupted daily life, and growing uncertainty over when electricity will be restored.
Behind every outage are real human consequences. Elderly residents reliant on medical equipment, households with small children, businesses losing income, and entire communities are being forced to carry the burden of municipal failure.
The DA believes that access to reliable electricity is a basic right and that residents who faithfully pay for services deserve a municipality that prioritises maintenance, protects infrastructure, and manages public finances responsibly.
Serious concerns remain regarding the municipality’s compliance with the Electricity Regulation Act and its obligations as a licensed electricity distributor. These concerns include reports of Eskom arrears exceeding R800 million, continued illegal electricity connections that destabilise the network, prolonged infrastructure neglect, and the apparent lack of sufficient technical oversight within the electricity distribution system.
The DA further believes that communities cannot continue paying the price for governance failures that have been allowed to worsen over time without meaningful intervention.
As part of its efforts to ensure accountability and urgent action, the DA has launched a public petition calling for intervention by the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), including an investigation into the municipality’s non-compliance and steps to restore lawful, reliable, and equitable electricity supply.
Unlike governments that respond only once systems collapse, the DA believes in proactive governance, proper infrastructure maintenance, financial accountability, and capable administration that puts residents first.
The DA will continue to stand with the residents of JB Marks and fight for the reliable delivery of basic services, because communities deserve a government that works.