DA And Lesufi Clash Over Credit For Snake Park Transformer
A heated dispute has broken out between the DA in Gauteng and Premier Panyaza Lesufi over who deserves credit for restoring electricity to Snake Park, Soweto, after residents spent more than three years without power.
The DA has accused Lesufi of taking credit for a transformer that the party claims it funded and installed in partnership with Eskom. The Premier’s office has rejected the claim, saying the provincial government’s transformer replacement programme has been running since 2020.
DA: “WE RAISED THE MONEY”
DA mayoral candidate Helen Zille said the party raised funds, purchased new transformers, and partnered with Eskom to restore power to the community.
“We did not do this for political gain. We did it because the people of Snake Park have been abandoned by the ANC government for years,” Zille said. “For Premier Lesufi to now arrive and claim credit is dishonest and insulting to the residents who waited three years for the lights to come back on.
The DA claims it identified the need, sourced the funding, and worked with Eskom to ensure the transformers were installed. The party says it has documentation to prove its involvement.
PREMIER’S OFFICE: “MISLEADING”
The Gauteng Provincial Government has rejected the DA’s claims, describing them as “misleading” and “opportunistic.”
“The Gauteng Provincial Government’s transformer replacement programme has been running since 2020 and has installed over 100 transformers across the province, including in Snake Park,” said a spokesperson for the Premier’s office. “It is misleading to suggest that the provincial government’s wider electricity intervention originated with the DA. This is a sustained programme, not an election stunt”.
The GPG said the Snake Park transformer installation formed part of its broader rollout and that the DA’s claims were an attempt to score political points ahead of the 4 November local elections.
RESIDENTS CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE
For residents of Snake Park, the political sparring is secondary to the relief of having electricity again after more than three years in the dark.
“We don’t care who did it. We are just happy to have power,” said one resident who asked not to be named. “For three years, we cooked with paraffin, our children studied by candlelight, and criminals had a field day because there were no streetlights. Now the lights are back. That is what matters.”
Another resident, a pensioner who has lived in Snake Park for over 20 years, said she had given up hope of ever seeing electricity restored. “I thought we had been forgotten. When the lights came on, I cried,” she said.
LESUFI WARNS AGAINST TAMPERING
During his visit to Snake Park, Lesufi warned that the new transformers are fitted with tracking devices to catch thieves and urged residents to avoid illegal connections that damage infrastructure and put lives at risk.
“Those who steal cables and transformers will be caught,” Lesufi said. “We have fitted trackers. The days of stealing from the community are over.”
The Premier also announced that the indigent register would be reopened to help residents who cannot afford to pay for electricity. Qualifying households will receive free basic electricity.
A POLITICAL FLASHPOINT
The dispute over Snake Park reflects the broader political contestation ahead of the 4 November local elections, where service delivery has emerged as a key battleground.
The ANC has pointed to its infrastructure programmes as evidence of delivery, while the DA and other opposition parties have highlighted the government’s failures and claimed responsibility for interventions that have improved residents’ lives.
For the people of Snake Park, the lights are back. Who gets the credit will be decided at the ballot box.
