The last time they had electricity was five months ago and have vowed that they will take to the streets. Now they are forced to adopt the rural style of living by collecting wood to make a fire outside so they can cook and have warm water to bathe and cook. Residents of Finetown near Orange Farm in the Vaal feel neglected and sidelined by the struggling power utility.
Lebo Morapeli, a resident, said that he even dreads making a simple cup of tea because of all the admin that comes with boiling the water. "It's really hard and our children are finding it difficult to adjust to these living conditions. I'm a tea lover but now I drink it twice a day because of what I have to go through just to get boiling water. Our kids go to school smelling of smoke because we need to prepare warm water for them so the smoke gets inside the house and is absorbed into their uniforms - they hate that so much," said Lebo. He said the community lodged several complaints with Eskom but they've never responded or entertained them. "People have spent money calling and going to Eskom but they never come. They don't acknowledge receipt of our complaints. It's not fair. One of these days we are going to march to their offices because clearly, it has to get to that point before we are heard," he said.
Amanda Zulu who is also a resident said it's better to have load shedding than to have no electricity at all. "Not having electricity is financially draining because I can't even buy meat for the whole month. I get a grant for my three kids and I know how much meat to buy that will last a whole month, now I can't do that. Instead, we are forced to live on tinned foods or buy meat that will be enough for a day. It's very tricky," Amanda added that their kasi is very dark and scary. "It's very scary and criminals thrive in the dark. So as soon as it starts getting dark everyone needs to be home. I just feel sorry for those who come back from work late and those that leave early in the morning. Eskom really needs to make a plan," she said.
Eskom spokesperson Amanda Gqithi said the power utility is aware of the situation in Finetown. However, more than two thousand electricity transformers were damaged last year mainly due to illegal connections, vandalism, and theft. "Replacing or fixing a transformer could take anything from 3 to 6 but also it could take much longer. It all depends on the availability of the material and resources required before we can decide on the repairs or replacement," she said.
