The Middelburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) organised a meeting in their boardroom on Thursday 23 May 2024, where Gerrit van der Merwe led the discussion with Ntokozo Guvebo, the Director of Electrical Engineering from the Steve Tshwete Municipality (STLM) regarding the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system Phase 1.

On 1 March 2022, MCCI members met with Guvebo and the Municipal Manager, Mandla Mnguni of STLM, to discuss the town’s load shedding and its impact on businesses. MCCI informed STLM that it has a mandate from its members to request STLM to a load curtailment programme within the town’s power distribution area. At this meeting, members were informed that the SCADA system was outdated and needed to be updated.

There were several issues preventing STLM from meeting the promised dates of August 2022 and then December 2022. One problem was that the scope of work, specifications, etc. were not correct, which delayed the implementation by almost a year. Guvebo said that the final deadline for the Phase 1 SCADA system would be at the end of July 2024.

The members were unimpressed with the unnecessary delay, which had a negative impact on the survival of their businesses. However, the members reiterated to Guvebo that they will help speed up the final implementation of the project. They offered to help with issues such as importing parts and other technical advice to successfully complete the first phase.

The various electrical engineers from the member companies asked for copies of the risk assessment, scope of work and any other documentation that would inform how they could assist the Steve Tshwete Electrical Department. Several members indicated they would sponsor Phase 2 of the SCADA system, but since Phase 1 is not yet complete, they cannot commit to the project.

Moeketsi Mpotu, the President of MCCI, urged STLM to take up the support and funding offered. The members awaited the documents before scheduling the next meeting. Members emphasised the urgency of the meeting and requested a follow-up meeting within the next week. Members who could not attend the meeting on 23 May can contact Anna-Marth Ott to be added to the invitation list at ceo@middelburgchamber.com.