Promise date: 18 November 2021
Due date: 2 November 2026
Source: Acceptance speech
Promise outcome: In progress
In the first speech he gave as Cape Town mayor in November 2021, Geordin Hill-Lewis made a handful of promises – among them to end load shedding over time. How much closer is he to fulfilling the promise?
In his annual Mayoral Minute – an overview of the year in office – Hill-Lewis gave an update on the city’s progress in trying to end rolling blackouts over time.
According to the mayor, the city is “on track to offer four stages of load-shedding protection” by the end of the term of office. The five-year term ends in 2026.
Read: City of Cape Town lifestyle-audit promise not just talk
Early promises: How did Cape Town’s Geordin Hill-Lewis fare?
Hill-Lewis highlighted the following:
- In February 2022, the city announced the first round of renewable-energy procurement (up to 300 MW) from independent power producers. He expects to see results by 2025.
- A policy change, which was introduced in July, makes it possible for the city to buy excess electricity from businesses. Hill-Lewis says the policy will be extended to include residential generators this year (2023).
- The metro has developed a battery storage roadmap and expects to procure dispatchable energy this year.
Verdict
Since work on this promise has started and the promise due date has not yet arrived, we rate it as in progress.
– Track My Mayor
Track My Mayor is a promise tracker aimed at increasing accountability at local government level. It was established with support from Code for Africa’s