Electricity Crisis (cited from News24)

The ANC in Manguzi, northern KwaZulu-Natal, plans to hold a march over what it claims are plans by the local IFP-run municipality to deprive areas it controls of electricity.

"The issue of electrification is being politicised by the IFP municipality which has prioritised areas which are IFP strongholds," the ANC's Solomon Mkhombo said on Monday.

The Umhlabuyalingana Municipality, which incorporates Manguzi, has recently released a list of areas which will be electrified with power Eskom would import from Mozambique.

Mkhombo claimed the densely populated areas such as Manguzi, Thengane and Ngozini were not on the IFP-run municipality's priority list because they were known to be ANC strongholds.

"We are organising a massive march to show our dissatisfaction in the manner in which this matter is being handled by the municipality."

Hundreds of people attended a meeting at Manguzi town hall on Sunday where a decision to march to the municipal offices was taken. The date would be made public before the end of this week, Mkhombo said.

Umhlabuyalingana Municipality mayor Alison Ncube said changes would still be made to the electrification priority list.

"We will take suggestions from the public and traditional leaders and take a final decision."

She denied claims that IFP stronghold areas were receiving priority, saying the ANC was using the matter to garner support.

Eskom declared an embargo on all applications for electricity connections submitted after November 2004, because the existing infrastructure in Manguzi was unable to handle the electricity demand.

The shortage prompted Eskom to import power from Mozambique. The project, which would see hundreds of homes and businesses getting a reliable electricity supply, started a few months ago and was nearing completion.

It would spare Manguzi rolling blackouts. Although there had been no power cuts recently, Eskom continued to warn electricity users to use power sparingly