"The ANC-controlled municipalities are in the habit of denying imminent power failures until the lights go out," said Dr Lionel Mtshali MPP who leads the IFP in the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Parliament and holds his party's finance and economic development portfolio.

Dr Mtshali pointed out that "the recent power failures in Cape Town were subject to denials, conspiracy theories and cover-up before they disrupted life in the city and cost local entrepreneurs millions in lost business".

Now the Msunduzi (Pietermaritzburg) Municipality is telling its residents and businesses that there is "no cause for alarm" despite the widespread sabotage of electricity infrastructure, staff shortages, financial constraints and ageing networks.

Dr Mtshali also said:

"This is a reckless attitude considering that the city has recently experienced a number of electrical blackouts. The IFP has noted with grim interest that electricity outages have lately become commonplace features of city and country life across South Africa.

"Certain municipalities forget that they are supposed to be providing essential services for which their residents and resident businessmen are paying. They are not doing us any favours. We urge the municipal management to own up to its responsibilities.

"We in the IFP are aware that power failures are particularly devastating for small businesses as they have the capacity to undo months of hard labour. We feel for small entrepreneurs whose livelihood depends on the working condition of their electrical appliances.

"We in the IFP are advocating a holistic rethink in the provision of electricity. Apart from making the current system more effective and efficient, we are looking into a more mainstream use of low-energy bulbs, solar water heaters and biomass as a source of energy."