Keetmanshoop
Keetmanshoop residents have vowed to do whatever it takes to ensure Keetmanshoop Municipality does not enter into any new agreement with the current electricity distributor Southern Electricity Company (SELCo).
A 15-year contract between the two came to an end in October, but the municipality failed to take over the electricity distribution responsibility and needed to extend the contract further, as per the advice by the line ministry, but residents here say enough is enough and SELCo must pack up and go.
Despite the municipality informing the community in several meetings that the municipality is currently unable to take over electricity supply at the town, saying the six-month contract extension with SELCo is the only viable option, residents yesterday marched to the municipal offices to reiterate their stance that the two parties must sever ties immediately.
The group of young and old protesters stood outside the locked municipal gates, singing anti-SELCo songs and demanded to see the local councillors, who took very long to come out of their offices.
After about more than half an hour, Keetmanshoop Municipality Chief Executive Officer Desmond Basson emerged from his office to listen to the aggrieved residents. He then asked the residents to wait for the mayor to address them, but he briefly noted that the municipality’s position has not changed and the six month extension of SeLCo’s contract was the only option.
“At the moment… as we said before in our meetings, the decision is still that we go for the six-month contract,” he said, much to the dismay of the irate residents.
Mayor Gaudentia Krohne’s engagement with the unhappy residents was cut short, as residents walked away while she tried to explain that the municipality has no choice, but to extend SELCo’s contract for another semester.
Fredinand Jacobs, chairperson of the concerned residents’ group, said the message is very clear that the residents of the town want SELCo out and that the residents have had enough of the high electricity tariffs, while profits made by the company go to South Africa.
He said the community will continue to put pressure on the municipality until a satisfactory solution is reached. “We will continue to put pressure on the municipality and SELCo and we will not relax until this issue is resolved,” he said.
He was also not pleased that the residents had to wait for a long time in the sun for the municipal leaders to come out and listen to them, saying it’s a clear sign that they lack basic courage. “The fact that the councillors are not here is disappointing, the leaders are scared to listen to their own people,” he said.
The group, after being told that the municipality will proceed with the contract extension, vowed not to allow it and said they would take unspecified actions starting today to vpice their grievance, without elaborating further on their plans.