10/05/2026
*OPEN LETTER TO TCLM LEADERSHIP*
*From: Lance Gibson – DA Ward 10 Branch Chairperson, Graskop*
*Date: 10 May 2026*
To:
*TCLM Technical Director*
*CC: MMC Finance*
*And to the residents of Graskop*
For 5 days now, residents and businesses in Boeredorp and parts of Church Street have been sitting in the dark after the storm of *Tuesday evening 5 May 2026, just after 23h00*.
That night, a violent storm with high-velocity winds and a heavy downpour hit Graskop. Many residents believe it was a tornado. It cut a path of destruction from *Eeufees Street in Boeredorp*, along Louis Trichardt and Richardson Street, up Oorwinning, President and Hugenote Streets, and out towards Driekop Sawmill. Trees were uprooted, electrical poles snapped, and a shop roof was torn off.
The result:
*Power outages in Boeredorp, parts of Louis Trichardt Avenue, Church Street, Oorwinning, President and Hugenote Streets.*
*What happened after:*
1. *Wednesday 6 May*: The Graskop Unit assessed the damage.
2. *Thursday 7 May*: TCLM brought in a contractor. Work started in Oorwinning and President Street.
3. *The Graskop Unit electrical team* did sterling work felling dangerous trees and helping residents clear debris from private property.
*Where the system failed:*
Communication between the Graskop Unit electrical team and the contractor broke down completely. A miscalculation was made on the number of replacement poles required, and from there, residents were fed misleading information.
Repairs continued uptown, but *Boeredorp and the Church Street block north of Louis Trichardt were ignored*.
The contractor told our PR Councillor their truck was 70km from Graskop fetching poles. It was actually 70km in the _other_ direction, still trying to source poles in Lydenburg.
As of *00h57 this morning, 10 May 2026*, residents of Boeredorp and Church Street have received *no update* on when power will be restored.
*The impact is real:*
Families and businesses have lost thousands of rands in perished food. Restaurants and guest houses have lost revenue as guests checked out. This is not just an inconvenience – it’s a financial blow people cannot absorb.
*Our demands on behalf of the community:*
1. *Declare this a disaster* for Boeredorp and the affected parts of Church Street.
2. *Compensate residents and businesses* for losses incurred due to the prolonged outage.
3. *Accountability and transparency*:
- Who made the decision to prioritize Oorwinning, President and Hugenote Streets over the vastly more affected areas of Boeredorp and Church Street?
- Was this prioritization influenced by the fact that high-ranking ANC officials reside at the top of President Street? Residents deserve a straight answer.
- If the Graskop electrical team and Technical Directorate made the assessment error, own it. If the contractor failed, hold them accountable and make them take responsibility.
4. *Public acknowledgement and apology* to the residents who have been left in the dark with no communication.
5. *Equip our unit teams properly* so they can carry out ongoing maintenance on all infrastructure. Proper maintenance limits damage when acts of God occur.
Residents deserve transparency, action, and respect. Silence, misinformation, and perceived political favouritism are unacceptable when people’s livelihoods are on the line.
I expect a formal response and a clear plan of action by *end of day today, 10 May 2026*.
I will continue to hold TCLM accountable until Boeredorp has power back and residents get the answers they deserve.
*Lance Gibson*
DA Ward 10 Branch Chairperson, Graskop
On behalf of the Graskop Ratepayers & Residents Association
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_Residents: Please share this post to ensure everyone has the facts. I will update this page as soon as TCLM responds._
