Uproar over “selective loadshedding”

Community forms committee to engage KDM

By Xpress Reporter

A new committee has been constituted to engage KwaDukuza Municipality over severe loadshedding in the area, with emphasis on why some areas are receiving “preferential” treatment with regard to switching off.

The meeting which was attended by more than 150 people, took place at KwaDukuza People's Park on Saturday, the 25th of February 2023. Wellknown local community activists and businesspeople were part of the meeting.

Residents lambasted KDM over what they described as “intense” loadshedding for KwaDukuza, while neighbouring towns and cities appeared to be enjoying a much better loadshedding regime. Demands were made for KDM, in particular Executive Director for Electrical Engineering Sibusiso Jali, to be more transparent about what appears to be “selective implementation of loadshedding” in the area.

Local councillors also came under fire for their perceived reluctance to assist communities when severe loadshedding happens.

Speaking in a Council meeting held last week, KwaDukuza Mayor Lindile Nhaca sought to explain the issue of what is generally referred to as “biased implementation” of loadshedding in KwaDukuza. Nhaca told Councillors that she was fully cognizant of the plight of businesses who are adversely affected by implementation of loadshedding during peak business hours.

Nhaca explained that as a result of loadshedding exemptions granted by Eskom to the local General Justice Gizenga Mpanza regional Hospital and Hesto Harnesses, a perception of bias had grown, with certain individuals capitalizing on the said perception to drive a wedge between the municipality and the community.

“The General Gizenga Hospital has been experiencing technical issues with its in-house generators. Hesto harnesses experienced a similar situation and thereafter wrote a motivation for an exemption on loadshedding.

“Electricity is ordinarily directed from one point of supply, a substation which is connected to a vast network that incorporates households. At this point in time, it would be impossible to isolate electricity from the point of supply to the identified source as well as to households. “The infrastructure is designed with the principle of natural selection and that which favours an approach that is holistic in terms of supply,” Nhaca elucidated.

She added that the same principle applied to the areas close to Avon Peaking Power Plant, which are also not affected by loadshedding. She said the power plant fed electricity into the national grid, and consequently it require constant supply in order to keep operating and generating electricity to augment the national grid.

“In the Stanger point of supply, Eskom switches off Gledhow, Glenhills and Lavoipierre lines leaving the Priority-1 substation live since there are no switching devices for this substation. I trust this is a clear and sensible explanation of the issue of biased loadshedding,” Nhaca said.

The meeting on Saturday culminated in the formation of a committee to take forward the community's grievances,

On Monday the 6th of March 2023, the committee urges members of the community to join it in handing over a memorandum to the municipal leadership. The handover is planned for 8:30am, with the point of convention being the Civic Building, opposite Absa Bank.