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Cape Town - Only five of 13 municipalities in Limpopo province which have a licence to distribute electricity have suitably qualified electrical engineers in place, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Pravin Gordhan has told MPs.
DA MP Desiree van der Walt asked in a written parliamentary question which of the 30 Limpopo municipalities have appointed “appropriately qualified electrical engineers” in charge of electrical networks. Gordhan reported that Greater Letaba, Ba-Phalaborwa, Greater Tzaneen, Molemole and Makhado local municipalities have appointed qualified electrical engineers.
However, the municipalities which have not responded to the parliamentary question include Blouberg, Elias Motsoaledi, Lephalale, Modimolle, Mogalakwena, Musina, Polokwane - which is the provincial capital - and Thabazimbi. Gordhan promised that the information would be passed on when these municipalities respond.
Those municipal areas which do not distribute electricity - 17 municipalities in all - are supplied directly by Eskom, the state power monopoly.
Van der Walt asked what resources are available in each of these municipalities’ electrical departments to fulfill their duties with regard to finances, personnel and equipment, and what shortages each municipality has with regard to these resources.
Gordhan reported that Greater Letaba appointed an assistant director: electrical with effect from March 1 2015 with a diploma in electrical engineering. Noting that the municipality does not receive electricity-related grants “and uses (its) own funds for operation and maintenance of electricity infrastructure”, Gordhan reported that the electricity personnel structure has 12 positions of which eight are filled. Equipment includes a crane truck, bucket truck, two bakkies and trailers.
He acknowledged that the Letaba network is "aged" and that the municipality has a small revenue base and licence area. Duiwelskloof is the seat of the local authority.
Ba-Phalaborwa has a general machine regulation engineer and is reported to have sufficient staff and equipment.
Tzaneen and Molemole have reasonable finances and staff. Molemole has a capital budget of R2.6m in the 2014/15 financial year and has a qualified electricity and mechanical manager and nine electricians. Tzaneen is reported to have no shortages of finances, equipment or personnel.
Makhado has a R30m capital budget with a staff of 88, including 11 in management, but 61 are unskilled. However, Gordhan reported there is inadequate funding to upgrade aged networks and the municipality has shortages of suitable vehicles, including crane trucks and “cherry pickers”.
In reply to Van der Walt, who also asked whether municipalities in Limpopo have a designated person in a full-time capacity to monitor the use of machinery, Gordhan replied that Polokwane has a designated full-time person to oversee those premises where machinery is used. He is a certificated engineer. Musina also has a “certificated” engineer to oversee machinery.
