KARIEGA – The long-promised electrification of McCarthy Land in Ward 48 is finally under way, with the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) confirming that Phase 1 of the project is currently in progress for the 2025/2026 financial year.
The update follows an oversight visit to the McCarthy Informal Settlement in Kariega conducted recently by NMBM Councillor Ndumiso Nqwazi, who attended on behalf of the MMC for Electricity and Energy, Councillor Ziyanda Mnqokoyi. Officials from the Electricity and Energy Directorate were also present.
According to the municipality, the visit formed part of its ongoing commitment to direct community engagement. Residents were updated on progress made with the electrification programme, informed of the way forward, and afforded an opportunity to provide feedback on the current status of the project.
This development comes after years of frustration from residents. UD Express previously reported on the plight of families living in Tinktinkie and McCarthy informal settlements, where communities continue to endure severe service delivery backlogs, including limited access to sanitation, water and electricity.
The primary objective of the McCarthy Land Project is to provide sustainable electricity to residents living in formalised informal settlements and low-cost housing, in line with engineering standards, political directives and the Municipality’s Integrated Development Plan (IDP).
The electrification process is being implemented in two phases.
Phase 1: Reticulation (MV & LV Aerial bundle construction)
This phase includes trenching, pole planting, pole dressing, stringing of medium- and low-voltage aerial bundle cables, installation of service distribution boxes and transformers, as well as testing and energising.
The municipality confirmed that excavation and pole planting are still in progress, while pole dressing is also under way.
Phase 2: Service connections
Upon completion of Phase 1, Phase 2 will be implemented to further extend access to electricity within the settlement. This phase will include the installation of ready boards, service cable stringing, installation of electricity meters, and final testing and commissioning.
For the 2025/26 financial year, R2 608 695.65 has been allocated to McCarthy Land for reticulation only. To date, R571 315.44 has been spent, representing 21.9% of the allocated budget.
However, the project has encountered logistical challenges. The municipality cited the intermittent unavailability of a municipal truck to transport poles from storage to the site as a key delay.
As a mitigation measure, a truck will be hired from an external service provider. Delays were also experienced owing to the unavailability of a crane truck required to transport poles.
Ward 48 Councillor Franay Van de Linde said she has called for closer monitoring of the project’s implementation, and that “a progress report be submitted to my office fortnightly by the Project Manager,” she said.
In response to questions about whether a similar oversight had been conducted at Blikkiesdorp, Van de Linde confirmed that she has met Human Settlements officials and that a follow-up meeting with all relevant stakeholders will be scheduled in due course. “Temporary Relocation Units (TRUs) will form part of the agenda,” she said.
Van de Linde described the electrification project as long overdue for the McCarthy community. “This is something the community of McCarthy Informal Settlement has been waiting on for many years and they can’t wait for their structures to be lit up with electricity,” she said.
She added that formal electricity connections would reduce the risk of shack fires and the dangers posed by illegal connections.
“I have seen what devastating consequences these illegal connections bring when a parent has to bury a child owing to illegal connections. It is very sad. This would bring peace of mind to everyone in the area and especially to me as a mother and a grandmother,” she concluded.
While Phase 1 remains in progress, residents say they are watching closely; hopeful that this time, the project will not stall before their homes are finally connected.
