Cape Town - The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) is struggling with generators and UPSes that break down frequently during load shedding at offices dotted across the nine provinces, MPs heard.
A total of 80 UPSes and 69 generators – all bought by the department and to be serviced by a sole contractor – broke down at DHA offices across the country, causing clients more inconvenience, DHA Minister Aaron Motsoaledi told MPs.
DA MP Adrian Roos had requested, in writing, a list of Home Affairs offices with faulty and/or broken UPS units and no functioning generator; and had asked by what date the UPS units would be repaired and emergency power supply systems installed in each of the specified offices.
Motsoaledi admitted the alternative systems’ breakdowns and listed affected offices as of February 17.
Motsoaledi said the department had installed generators and UPS units in all modernised Home Affairs offices nationwide.
He said eight UPS units had broken down in Nyanga, Atlantis, Wynberg, Citrusdal, Worcester, Plettenberg Bay, Caledon and Mossel Bay in the province.
Seven UPS units broke down in the North West; Northern Cape, 13; Mpumalanga, 9; Limpopo, 13; KwaZulu-Natal, 13; Gauteng, 3; Free State, 11; and Eastern Cape, 16.
There were 14 generators that broke down in Home Affairs offices in Nyanga, Atlantis, Bredasdorp, Wynberg, Citrusdal, Worcester, Plettenberg Bay, Caledon, Mossel Bay, Mitchells Plain, Ceres, Oudtshoorn, Prince Albert, Vredendal in the Western Cape.
Collectively, the other provinces saw 55 generators breaking down at their Home Affairs offices.
“The department has contracted a service provider to service and repair all the generators and UPS units where necessary,” Motsoaledi said.
“This service provider is currently in all the provinces. The challenge is the scarcity of UPS units within the country.”