City of Joburg’s Member of the Mayoral Committee for the Environment and Infrastructure Services Department (EISD) Cllr Mpho Moerane has facilitated the resumption of the construction of Eldorado Park Substation, and it will start tomorrow Tuesday, 23 March 2021, as the continued stalling and illegal closure will affect the infrastructure and the provision of reliable electricity in the area.
This follows the consultative meeting the MMC's office had last week with broad stakeholder representatives, comprising community leaders, organized business representatives, SMMEs, community liaison officers (CLOs), and the main contractor.
Following a series of consultations, the Eldorado community was informed that the Eldorado Park substation will resume construction, which began in in 2015 but stalled as a result of challenges with the initial main contractor, Setheo, due to some contested contractual matters.
Four new main contractors have been appointed, and the project was given the green light to commence.
One of the main contractors, Actom, explained the sticky issues at the meeting, and they were addressed with the organized SMME representatives. The MMC’s office continued with further engagements with the disgruntled troika that left, and a consensus was reached that in the interest of the community of Eldorado Park and its surrounding areas, the old substation infrastructure needed an urgent uplifting and boost to ensure reliable provision of electricity.
Twenty Extended Public Works Programme (EPWP), eight local SMMEs out of the initial 30, were appointed from the community alongside the CLO and local labourers. The SMME’s problems were addressed in the meeting to the satisfaction of all the parties involved. The main contractor committed to assist them reasonably where necessary.
It must also be noted that City Power met with stakeholders over a period of time, especially organized SMME business, and accommodated most of their proposals, from rates to increasing the number of SMMEs and the EPWP, where all agreed to the work starting in earnest.
The main contractor Actom has also broken down the budget for the project for all stakeholders, and City Power explained that the budget is an annually approved process, therefore the value each financial year is dependent on what the council approves. The project is not new, but a continuation of what started in 2015.
The MMC is satisfied with the progress achieved through his office’s intervention and consultations held with all stakeholders.
We are expecting all involved to start work with the community interests in sight.
The MMC’s office has also taken precautionary measures to ramp up our security to monitor and ensure that there are no disruptions on site. JMPD and the SAPS will be on standby should there be any disruptions.
For more information contact:
Stanley Itshegetseng
Deputy Director: Communication and stakeholder relations
Office of the MMC – EISD
Cell: 0837024778
