Emfuleni’s state of the municipality address put on hold until further notice

EVATON - The Emfuleni Local Municipality has confirmed that the State of the Municipality Address (SOMA) that was scheduled for Friday has been postponed until further notice. This is after the address was disrupted by service delivery protests by residents of “Cuba” in Evaton North. ELM spokesperson, Makhosonke Sangweni, said in a statement that Cuba residents blocked three main roads leading to Wilberforce Community College where the SOMA was going to be held, causing the address to be delayed and eventually called off by municipality. Sangweni said residents were demanding immediate restoration of power supply in the area supplied by Eskom, with some requesting to be addressed by the Executive Mayor Sipho Radebe on this matter. Radebe committed the Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Public Works, Cllr. Vincent Jones and his team to assist residents with their challenge. The Mayor further engaged Eskom and they said that they are aware of the challenge connected to a failing switch at one of the substations. The power utility further raised concerns with electricity consumption and theft in the area, claiming that very few people buy electricity resulting in network overloads.

Addressing members of the media on whether the SOMA has been postponed or cancelled for the year, Radebe announced that he is still to consult with his committee and office for a final pronouncement. Radebe said in such challenging situations there’s always a silver lining, in as much as the municipality incurred losses in preparation for a SOMA that did not sit, community members of Cuba gained an audience with the highest office in Emfuleni and a new found hope that their electricity challenges will be a thing of the past from here onwards.

PHOTOS: (Vaal Times)