Having no access to electricity was a burning topic during an outreach programme hosted by King Sabata Dalindyebo (KSD) Local Municipality council speaker, Nomamfengu Siyo-Sokutu, with communities that form Ward 21 of the local municipality, held at Futye Location, outside Elliotdale on June 22.
Residents, who came out in their numbers during the outreach programme, expressed their frustrations at empty promises made by the municipality during previous engagements, saying they were promised electricity as far back as 2016 but government had not delivered on the promise to date.
Futye location, where the outreach programme was held, is one of the villages still without electricity under Ward 21.
However, KSD Municipality member of the mayoral committee for local economic development, Councillor Mkhanyiseli Dudumayo, who spoke on behalf of the mayor during the outreach programme, moved to allay frustrations of the community, saying Eskom was going to bring electricity to their villages during the current 2022/2023 financial year.
“During the recent strategic planning session we held in East London, Eskom presented their plan to electrify around 820 households under Mqanduli Phase 6 electrification project during the current financial year and R27 million has already been set aside for the project.
“One of the villages that are set to benefit from the said electrification project is Futye where we are today,” Dudumayo said, during the outreach programme.
Dudumayo further reminded communities in attendance that electrification of villages was not the local municipality’s competency, adding that their role was only to coordinate and facilitate electrification projects as and when they happen.
Siyo-Sokutu said the outreach programme was held to encourage public participation by residents on issues pertaining to service delivery.
“The main objective of my office is to ensure that there is contact between communities and government. We want people to be active participants in how their municipality is governed and give input on the direction the municipality is taking in addressing their service delivery concerns, which is why we decided on the outreach programme,” said Siyo-Sokutu.
“This will not be a once-off engagement, but we will continuously have engagements of this nature so that we are able to account to the communities we serve,” she further said.
Residents also raised service delivery challenges such as having no access to clean drinking water, the poor state of access roads and crime which the municipality committed to forward to relevant government departments.
Department of Health, Correctional Services, SASSA and the National Prosecuting Authority were also part of the outreach programme and also offered their services on site.
