City Power has left residents and businesses in the dark by making changes to the load-shedding schedule behind their backs. On 18 January they confirmed that they would stick to a 4-hour schedule as their infrastructure was too old to handle the 2-hour schedule which Eskom proposed, and today confirmed via Twitter that this was still the case.
It was only after DA Councillors pushed for a confirmation that City Power surprised us all with a press statement at 18:30 that announced the new 2-hour schedule. I’m happy if they’ve managed to miraculously protect the crumbling power grid from the effect of a 2-hour schedule, but we all know that you can’t correct a R60bn backlog overnight.
It’s important to us to have a reliable and well-planned schedule so that we can plan our lives around loadshedding properly. The last thing we need on top of load-shedding is for City Power to change their minds and make up new schedules without telling us. This means frustration and loss of business, which we can’t afford in the current economic depression.
Johannesburg residents deserve a City that puts their needs first and care about them. The DA stands for clear and consistent communication backed up by proper planning and investment in the basics which residents pay for.