Many municipalities, including Drakenstein, buy electricity in bulk from Eskom and then add hefty mark-ups when selling it to consumers. The profits they make from such sales are an important source of revenue.
In times of financial hardship for many South African families, worsened by the national electricity regulator’s having just approved an 18% price hike for Eskom, these municipalities have it within their power to give consumers a break by lowering their mark-ups.
Adding 100% mark-ups to the price struggling residents pay for electricity constitutes abuse.
But instead of addressing this abuse, which is within its power to do, the DA in Drakenstein sees the Eskom price hike as an opportunity to conduct political work, “paint the town blue” and insult members of opposition parties.
On Facebook Mayor Conrad Poole stated with a straight face his is the only party that acts in the interests of the poor, while adding a 100% mark-ups to their electricity bills…
The hypocrisy is self-evident.
For the record, in my capacity as a councillor I’ve often requested to be invited to municipal events, but am yet to receive an invitation. Had I been invited to join its DA publicity drive around electricity, I would have politely declined.
Instead of conducting political fanfare work at ratepayers’ expense, the Drakenstein Municipality should give poorer residents a breakthrough tweaking the systems it controls, such as the price it charges for electricity.
