WELKOM – Residents in parts of Matjhabeng Local Municipality experienced extended electricity outages over the Freedom Day and Workers’ Day weekend, with some areas reportedly without power for multiple consecutive days.

The outages affected several towns across the municipality, including Odendaalsrus, where residents were left without electricity throughout the weekend. Thusanong Hospital was among the facilities affected, with reports indicating the hospital had no power and no functional generators.

Similar outages were experienced in Hennenman and large portions of Welkom. By Monday morning (72 hours later) residents still had no clarity on the situation, and no indication when power would be restored.

According to Councillor Estelle Dansey, electricians refused to work overtime to restore power. Two residents in Odendaalsrus were hospitalised, which Dansey attributed to the lack of electricity. Businesses in affected areas have reportedly closed during outages.

The municipality has not provided public feedback or updates on the outages.

The power failures follow similar outages the previous week, affecting multiple towns across Matjhabeng.

In response to the situation, Councillor Hansie du Plessis has submitted a petition to Parliament requesting urgent intervention.

Dr Igor Scheurkogel has escalated the matter to the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) and the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), requesting an immediate investigation.

Dansey has written to Matjhabeng Local Municipality’s Local Labour Forum committee requesting that the municipality and the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) meet urgently. She stated that essential services should not be used as leverage in labour disputes.

Dansey has also written to the Speaker requesting consequence management for officials or departments that failed to act. A formal council motion will be tabled demanding accountability, timelines and reporting.

Municipal management has been asked to provide a written status report on all affected areas within 72 hours.

Dansey stated that the situation constitutes a violation of residents’ constitutional rights under Section 152 of the Constitution, which mandates municipalities to ensure sustainable service delivery. She also cited the Municipal Systems Act’s requirements for transparency, accountability and responsiveness.

The municipality had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.