Africa-Press – South-Africa. The Western Cape Government handed over millions of rands to several municipalities to address load shedding.
On Tuesday, Premier Alan Winde met with mayors at the Premier’s Coordinating Forum event in Cape Town.
A symbolic cheque was handed over to various mayors who attended the event.
MEC for local government Anton Bredell said: “The amount of R88.815 million, made available from the Provincial Unforeseen and Unavoidable Reserve Fund, is allocated to Western Cape municipalities to procure emergency diesel generators to be used for water treatment, water distribution and wastewater systems during times of prolonged load shedding.”
Bredell said strict conditions, as set out in the Transfer Payment Agreements, which were concluded with each of the municipalities, will inform the transfer of the funds.
These conditions include monthly financial and non-financial performance reports (including procurement information), which must be submitted to the local government department, as stipulated in the Transfer Payment Agreements, and municipalities must report monthly on the progress of spending until the project is completed.
Winde detailed his “urgent” plan to protect the Western Cape from load shedding during his State of the Province Address earlier this month.
He requested the provincial treasury to allocate just over R1 billion to respond to the energy crisis in the upcoming three-year budget period.
“We are making sure that municipalities are resourced to ensure safe drinking water and working sewage infrastructure during rolling blackouts through the release of nearly R89 million in emergency funding,” he said at the time.
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