Fear lessl y the tr uth 20 Januarie 2017
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Who’s fooling who? GTM blames community for funding issues A week before Christmas, she finally released the funds for the rewiring to be done, but by then it was too late as the contractors had closed shop for the holidays. According to Neville Ndlala, spokesperson for the GTM, there was a valid reason for this. “There are internal processes and legislation to be followed and the CFO has to satisfy herself that these laws have been adhered to and where they are not, she has to demand that it be corrected, that’s why there was a delay,” he said. What was wrong with the process and which laws were not adhered to
Mechanical breakdown, it’s a coincidence these things happen. in the request for repairs to a crucial part of the maintenance protocol? These questions have been sent to Ndlala for clarification. Adding to the service delivery and maintenance failures of the municipality is the fact that all but one of their field service vehicles, six in total, were not available for the department’s technical team as they have also been stand-
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ing at a workshop waiting to be repaired. Ndlala dismissed this as coincidence. “Mechanical breakdown, it’s a coincidence these things happen.”
Trees and shrubbery which are left to grow unabated underneath powerlines are a major issue too. During strong winds and storms, branches blow against the powerlines and cause shorts which lead to power outages. The GTM has failed to maintain the clearing of electrical lines and the situation escalated to the point that AfriForum Tzaneen pitched in and cleaned sections of lines themselves. The GTM (shockingly) blamed their lack of vegetation control on Working on Fire. “We did engage Working on Fire previously, they did not have a project manager. We worked with them and they disappeared after a week. There is also a need to pay them for the work.” So did the GTM not pay a contractor for work already completed? Clarity on this has been sought and we will report on that next week. It is believed that at some point in the meeting, Ms Lion stood up and walked out of the chamber. This is believed to have followed after the farmers demanded that officials who do not perform their duties be removed from
their positions. What action will the GTM take against underperforming officials? Staying on topic, it was announced that a new director for the electrical department would be appointed soon, an action plan would be structured and communicated with the farmers and that power will be restored by no later than today. The GTM clearly views deadlines as lower on the priority list as Ndlala explained, “power has been restored in most areas, verify with the farmers. In terms of deadlines; I think we can engage if they are not met. We set deadlines and if there are changes or developments we will communicate with the farmers.” A number of questions remain unanswered, but the problem seems strikingly clear. “As it has been stated, we have overlooked the funding for network upgrades and refurbishment for years due to competing community needs, we therefore must consider other funding models to make up for the deficit in funding for network upgrades and refurbishments of power lines. You need to remember that the budget is a consultative process where communities make inputs before council finalises. So the previous budgets that did not sufficiently cater for electricity were based on community inputs.” At the time of going to print we had not received any clarity on whether the power disruptions in the farming areas had been restored but farmers have looked to other solutions and are planning a mass prayer meeting to ask for a solution to the crisis. — Joe Dreyer: joe@bulletin.us.com
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Last week Bulletin reported on the meeting held at the chambers of the GTM between top management and a handful of farmers. The meeting was to find solutions to the power crisis which has crippled businesses in the GTM’s area of jurisdiction. The Bulletin was refused access to the meeting although a journalist from another local paper was allowed to sit in. The farmers who turned Bulletin away claimed that this was because the GTM would call off the meeting if we were present. The GTM denied this claim and said they had no knowledge of such an arrangement. During the meeting the acting electrical chief, Sam Lelope, admitted that the electrical system of the Greater Tzaneen Municipality had outlived its lifespan and needed urgent refurbishment. This crisis was forewarned by the former electrical department head, Pierre van den Heever who resigned in July last year. Van den Heever listed his frustration with the lack of prioritizing maintenance on the power grid as one of the motivators behind his departure. The GTM acknowledged that 19 transformers were standing in the workshop of a rewinder in the area. According to our information these transformers were sent for repairs 18 months ago, but due to GTM Chief Financial Officer, the embattled Norah Lion, not signing off for the repairs, the work was never done. This led to a major upset two weeks ago when transformers burnt out in Henley and there were no replacements available.