NO ELECTRICITY IN HARDUSTRIA & CERTAIN INDUSTRIAL AREAS! Since the Eskom incident on 04 April, businesses in Hardustria and certain Industrial areas still remains in the dark to this very day. It is estimated that a medium sized business loses approximately R3800 to R5000 on diesel alone per day on self-generated electricity. Businesses are losing thousands of rands each day and Maluti-A-Phofung Muncipality is ignoring the urgency for electricity supplied to these areas. Letters written by HIT Residents Association is also being ignored as we simply get no response from the municipality and we don’t see any progress or efforts made by the municipality to ensure prompt repairs. Businesses in Hardustria reported to their whatsapp group on 31 August 2020 that the brand new cable installed after being without power for days was not properly secured or buried.
Several businesses reported this issue to the municipality over the months before this cable got damaged and parts of it stolen on 04 April 2021. HIT has also reported this cable to the municipality and has also informed the municipality before the incident and that a business will help with the securing and burying of this cable if the municipality does not have the needed resources to complete the job. It was also pointed out to the municipality that heavy vehicles travel over this exposed cable daily and that this cable could get damaged and that the big open hole with the cable is causing obstruction to business entrances especially when it rains. Maluti-A-Phofung Municipality showed absolutely no urgency to ensure that this cable is secured properly and as a result this cable became damaged and businesses are currently without electricity for 11 days and counting. This is pure and gross negligence on Maluti-A-Phofung Municipality’s part.  HIT Residents Association managed to obtain information on 13 April 2021 from Maluti-A-Phofung Municipality that the contractors are on site and are waiting for a cable. Maluti-A-Phofung confirmed that Hardustria and other Industrial areas will be repaired today. We have no updates on the progress of the work and whether the necessary materials have arrived and that repairs are taking place today as planned. There are also no ETA’s available at present. Note: Some businesses in Hardustria have suffered as many as 63 days without electricity between 08 August 2020 and 13 April 2021. This is a minimum estimated loss of R239 000 spent on self-generated electricity for one medium sized business alone. This does not include any other damages or losses incurred by such a business as a result of no electricity and inability to function normally during times when there is no electricity! Small businesses have informed us that it is becoming unsustainable to continue with business. They simply cannot afford the extra costs. One has already started reducing staff hours and may even go as far as shutting their doors as the owners simply cannot afford to pay staff and overheads any longer. It is shocking that Maluti-A-Phofung Municipality don’t take these businesses in to serious consideration when planning repairs and don’t make provisions to ensure that these businesses receive electricity promptly after cable thefts or during cable faults so that business may commence as normal as soon as possible and with minimal losses. Not only will business doors close, but residents of Harrismith will lose their jobs and income to their homes. This in turn will have a very serious impact on every other business in Harrismith, which none can afford. Updates on the situation of Hardustria and the Venning Line will posted to the whatsapp groups as we receive reliable information. As HIT Resident Association we also take in to consideration the households and residents of Bergsig, Kingshill and areas in town who also suffered as a result of no electricity from 04 April 2021 till 11 April 2021 along with Wilgepark residents who had to make do without power from 06 April 2021 till 13 April 2021. These households lost thousands of rands in food as many cannot afford self-generated electricity. Some residents are pensioners or unemployed. We also have frail residents who rely on electricity for oxygen and medication that needs to be stored in fridges. There is absolutely no way that the Greater Harrismith can further suffer as a result of poor service delivery from Maluti-A-Phofung Municipality. It is simply too costly. It took Eskom only 13 hours to do their repairs to these areas, Maluti-A-Phofung Municipality is still counting… HIT Residents Association will continue to apply pressure and to find solutions towards ensuring decent service delivery in our town. Media Release: 14 April 2021 15:49 We can fix this, but we need your help... 
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