SOUTH African Local Government Association (SALGA), KZN wants government to allocate a special grant for municipalities as they suffer the most during load shedding.
KZN chairman, Thami Ntuli, said municipalities are currently facing the worst as their operations get interrupted when the power goes off.
He said municipalities are not provided with ways to deal with load shedding.
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“If load shedding comes, the municipality should use a generator, but we have never been provided with funds to buy generators as well as money to buy diesel in the financial budget.
“In rural areas, load shedding takes long hours and generators are not suitable to operate for long hours,” he said.
Ntuli, who is also IFP KZN chairman, said many municipalities' critical infrastructure depended on electricity to provide basic service delivery to residents.
“It is difficult because we need electricity when we must provide water to residents, but the electricity is always not available and that always gives us problems.
“It would be better if national government provided the funds to rescue municipalities during load shedding,” he said.
He said they will call an imbizo for KZN municipalities to discuss the matter with other municipality officials and find a way forward.
“I want that imbizo to be attended by all mayors, speakers, municipal managers and even small businesses that are interrupted by load shedding. We should have a way to rescue them because they are the ones who develop the economy,” he said.
