QWAQWA — Maluti-a-Phofung’s power crisis is getting a skilled fix. Thirty municipal electricians graduated on Thursday, 08 October, after six months of intensive training under Eskom — the first batch to be upskilled through the Distribution Agency Agreement (DAA) signed between Eskom and the municipality.
The graduation ceremony was held at the council chambers in QwaQwa, where the electricians received their certificates.
Executive Mayor Tumelo Thebe said the skills transfer was critical to stabilising the municipality’s crumbling electricity infrastructure.
“The uplifting of skills to our electricians will make it easier for the municipality to upgrade its electricity infrastructure and meet the expected standard,” Thebe said.
The municipality has an eight-year agreement with Eskom under the DAA to continue training and equipping employees with technical electricity expertise. The programme will roll out in phases.
“This achievement demonstrates your commitment to professional development and your willingness to apply technical skill necessary to provide safer, more reliable and more responsive electricity services,” Thebe told the graduates.
“As municipal employees you are at the front line of service. The knowledge and skill you have gained must now translate into better maintenance, quicker response, improved safety and ultimately a better experience for all residents.”
Thebe said the partnership was already showing results. For the first time in years, MAP got through winter without major blackouts — only load reduction.
Since Eskom stepped in, he said, the electricity network is slowly stabilising.
For a municipality long plagued by power failures, vandalism and poor maintenance, 30 newly trained electricians may be the first spark of a turnaround.
